DCGI grants  for restricted emergency use of Covaxin for children aged  6 to 12 years

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted restricted emergency-use authorisation to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children in the 6 to 12 years age group, on Tuesday.

Bharat Biotech has been requested to report safety data, including data on adverse events with due analysis, every 15 days for the first two months and then monthly for the next five months, according to the regulator.

Earlier this month, National Institute of Virology (NIV) director Dr. Priya Abraham had said that there was a need to vaccinate children below 12 years of age. “Children below the age of 12 years who are at high risk – as in those who are on dialysis, have immunosuppression and also are suffering from cancer, among others – need to be vaccinated,” she had told news agency PTI.

In India, everyone above the age of 12 is eligible for COVID immunisation, however the government has only allowed Corbevax for the 12-14-year-old age range as part of the statewide COVID vaccination programme.