Amid Fear Of 4th COVID Wave, 3 Vaccines Get Emergency Use Authorisation For Children

In a bid to mitigate the vulnerability of children to the deadly coronavirus, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given a restricted emergency use authorisation for three vaccines—Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Cadila's Zycov-D, and Biological E Limited's Corbevax—for children aged 5-12 years, 6-12 years, and above 12 years, respectively on Tuesday.

Reportedly, the nation began immunising youngsters aged 12 to 14 against Covid for the first time on March 16 amid the schools recording a surge in COVID-19 infections among children in tier-I cities across India.

The Health Minister of India, Mansukh Mandaviya, had tweeted, announcing the government's decision to expand COVID-19. He wrote, "If children are safe, the country is safe. It makes me really happy to announce that from March 16, children in (the) 12-14 age group can get vaccinated against Covid."

Bharat Bio-Tech Covaxin

The DCGI permitted Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use in children aged 6 to 12. The body has instructed Bharat Biotech to report safety data, including data on adverse occurrences, with proper analysis every 15 days for the first two months.

Following that, the vaccine manufacturer will be required to disclose data every month for up to 5 months. Covaxin was awarded Emergency Use Listing by the DCGI earlier this year for the age group of 12 to 18 years, as reported by ANI

Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D

The DCGI has granted emergency use authorisation to ZyCoV-D, the world's first DNA-plasmid-based vaccination, for use in adolescents aged 12 and up.

ZyCoV-D, which is based on DNA-Plasmids, will be a three-dose vaccination that will be delivered intradermally using a needle-free injection technique (NFIS). It can be stored at temperatures ranging from two to four degrees Celsius and does not require cold chains, making it easy to transport to even the most distant corners of the country, reported ANI.

Corbevax Jab

Meanwhile, Biological E Limited's Corbevax vaccine has been approved for emergency use in children aged 5 to 12. Corbevax is India's first Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19. The DCGI authorised Corbevax for limited usage in an emergency circumstance in adults on December 28.

Mask Mandatory In Some States

Some state governments have reinstated the mask rule with coronavirus infections rising. Many opted to ditch the mask earlier this month once the Center lifted all Covid restrictions and coronavirus cases declined.

However, due to a dramatic increase in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and the discovery of new types, certain governments have made masks mandatory once again, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telengana, Tamil Nadu, and Andra Pradesh.

Current COVID-19 Situation

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) confirmed 1,399 fatalities and 2,483 new cases of COVID-19 in India in the previous 24 hours.

According to reports, the number of new cases of COVID-19 declared on Tuesday has decreased by 2.28 per cent compared to the 2,541 new infections recorded on Monday. The country's overall number of coronavirus cases has now reached 4,30,62,569 people.

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