COVAXIN likely to get approval for children above 2yrs: Report
Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, is likely to get the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) nod for use among children aged two to 12 years. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is considering sending recommendations on COVAXIN to DCGI, reported News18. A government panel is also reportedly evaluating Bharat Biotech's data on children above two years.
Why does this story matter?
Vaccination of children has now become the government's priority as India is witnessing a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, especially among kids. Notably, India has so far not included children below 12 years in its national vaccination drive. For those aged 12-18 years, two vaccines—Biological E's Corbevax (for the 12-14 years age group) and COVAXIN (for the 15-18 age group)—have so far been authorized.
Bharat Biotech submitted data from its clinical trials last year
To recall, Bharat Biotech had last year submitted its data from its clinical trials in the 2-18 years age group for COVAXIN to the CDSCO. In October 2021, the SEC had also recommended emergency use authorization (EUA) of COVAXIN for children aged 2 to 18 years, but with certain conditions. However, DCGI granted later granted COVAXIN the EUA only for children above 12 years.
SEC recommends Corbevax for children aged 5 to 12
Meanwhile, the SEC had earlier also reportedly recommended the use of Biological E's Corbevax in children aged 5-12 years. Also, a government panel had previously convened a meeting to discuss data and the use of Corbevax in children in this age bracket, reported News18.
Current COVID-19 situation in India
India on Friday reported 2,451 new COVID-19 cases and 54 more deaths in the last 24 hours. This marks an increase of nearly 100 cases from the previous day. The active caseload in the country has also been witnessing an increasing trend and stood at 14,241 on Friday. While India's total cases rose to 4,30,52,425, the recovery rate stood at 98.75%
