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Once the approval comes out, the roll-out for children is expected to phase wise. The publication said that this was adopted in the case of adults. A phased roll-out starting with 12 years old and above may be adopted. Vulnerable children or those with co-morbidities are likely to be prioritised irrespective of their age group.
Owing to the evaluation on vaccine availability and also to know the vaccine’s performance in young adults (18 years or so) by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the approval for the Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children as young as two years may be right around the corner, with India considering a phased roll out of the vaccine for them, according to a report in Business Standard. India’s drug regulator is examining the recommendation of the expert panel carefully and is evaluating several factors.
Last week, the panel recommended granting emergency use authorisation to the vaccine for children in the 2-18 year age group.
Bharat Biotech has so far contributed only 11 to 12 percent of India’s overall vaccination. It has been struggling to ramp up supplies of its inactivated virus vaccine.
By allowing the vaccine in the 2-18 years age group, may create a sudden spike in demand for the jab, which would lead to an availability crisis for the elderly and vulnerable, according to the report.
Way ahead
Once the approval comes out, the roll-out for children is expected to phase wise. A phased roll-out starting with 12 years old and above may be adopted. Vulnerable children or those with co-morbidities are likely to be prioritised irrespective of their age group.
Even in the case of adult vaccination, the country first gave preference to frontline and healthcare services and then move on to the elderly and people with serious ailments in the latter phases before opening the vaccination for all.
According to sero-surveys, India has about 400 million children, of whom nearly 60% or 240 million have already developed antibodies.