Covid Vaccine for Kids: Now, the corona vaccination of children younger than 15 years will also start in the country. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted that from March 16, children of 12, 13 and 14 years will also be given the corona vaccine. The estimated number of children in this age group is around 7.5 crore.
Who will be able to get the vaccine from March 16?
According to the Ministry of Health, children aged 12, 13 and 14 will get the corona vaccine from March 16. All children born in 2008, 2009 and 2010 can get the vaccine.
Which vaccine will be given to these children?
According to the central government, children aged 12 to 14 years will be given the Corbivax vaccine. Hyderabad-based pharma company Biological E has made this vaccine. This vaccine was approved for use on children between 12 to 18 years only last month.
How safe is this vaccine?
In September last year, Biologicals E got permission to test its vaccine on children aged 5 to 18 years. This vaccine has proved safe and effective in Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in this age group.
How will this vaccine work?
The way Covaccine and Covishield are being implemented in India, this vaccine will also be vaccinated. This is also an intermuscular vaccine injected into the body. There will be a gap of 28 days in two doses of this vaccine.
Which vaccines are now above 12 years
Covaxin: Bharat Biotech had conducted a trial of Covaxin on children aged 2 to 18 years. It has just been approved for use on children above 12 years. Covaccine is currently being administered to adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18.
Zycov -D: Zycov-D (Zy-COV-D) of Zydus Cadila was approved last August. This vaccine is for those above 12 years. This vaccine is currently being given to adults only. People under the age of 18 are not being vaccinated.
Corbivax: The biological E vaccine, Corbivax, was approved by the government for use in December 2021. In February, it has also got approval for use on children aged 12 to 18 years. This vaccine will be given in the vaccination of 12 to 14-year-old children.
Covovax: This vaccine has been made by the Serum Institute of India (SII) of Pune in collaboration with the American company Novavax. Covovax was also approved in December. It has approval for use on children aged 12 to 17 years this month.
What else is new in the vaccination program?
Apart from starting the vaccination of 12 to 14-year-old children, the government will also administer the third or booster dose to all the older adults above 60 years of age. All the elderly will be given a booster dose from March 16. Booster doses were being administered to those older adults above 60 years of age who were suffering from severe disease.
