COVID-19 vaccine: DGCI grants EUA to Covaxin, Zy-CoV-D for children between 6-12 yrs

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s indigenously made COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for children aged between 6-12 years, news agency ANI reported.

The company has been asked to submit safety data including data on adverse events with due analysis every 15 days for the first two months and monthly after upto 5 months.  Zydus Cadila’s Zy-CoV-D has also been granted the emergency use authorisation for children upto 12 years of age.

DCGI's Subject Expert Committee (SEC) asked Bharat Biotech to provide more data on administration of Covaxin to kids in the age bracket of 2-12 years on April 21. The panel had approved granting EUA to Biological E’s Corbevax for children between 5-11 years of age with certain conditions.

Vaccination drive for those aged between 15-18 years began on January 3 this year with Covaxin. The drive was expanded to include children aged between 12-14 years on March 16 and they are being administered Corbevax.

India began administering precaution doses to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 years and above with co-morbidities from January 10. Precaution doses for those aged above 18 years were allowed at private vaccination centres from April 10.

(With inputs from ANI, Milan Sharma)