The national drug regulator has recently granted the emergency use authorisation (EUA) to Bharat Biotech Covaxin for children belonging to the age group of 6 to 12 years. This will now rollout the need for vaccinating children under the age of 12.
India has been consistently rolling out the Covid-19 vaccines based on epidemiological and scientific evidence. In the first phase, vaccination was given to the people with the highest risk. This included Frontline workers and Healthcare workers, then came the adults and the elderly.
Currently, the government is providing vaccination to the teenagers between the age group of 12th 18 years. The EUAs for children till 12 years of age, granted by the regulator Drugs Controller General of India, have directly come on the basis of data trials submitted by the vaccine manufacturers. India, therefore, is a step away from rolling out vaccination for this age group.
The regulatory approval and other related data on the vaccines will be soon placed before the government expert bodies. This includes the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). The final approval and decision will be made by the health ministry. The decision is expected to come up within a few days.
