Covid vaccines for children by September

Covid vaccines for children by September

AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV this morning that India would start vaccinating children by September, outlining that this would be an important step in breaking the exchange chain.

"Zidus has already done the tests and I think they are waiting for urgent approval. The tests on Bharat Biotech's Kovacs should be completed by August or September, by which time we should get approval. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved by the FDA (US Regulator - Food) And drug administration) .We hope to start vaccinating children by September, and this will be a big boost as it breaks the chain of transmission, ”said Dr. Guleria.

India has so far provided 42 crore dose vaccines and vaccinated almost 6 per cent of its population, while the government aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of this year. However, amid concerns over the third wave, the country has not yet eliminated the vaccine for children. On Friday, the European Drug watchdog approved the use of Moderna's corona virus vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 17. In May, the United States approved the Pfizer-Bioentech Covit-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15.

"We need to get our own vaccines too - that's why both Bharat Biotech and Zydus are important. Getting the Pfizer vaccine is also helpful because there is enough data to suggest that it is safe,but we can not be sure we will get the required numbers. We will get more than one vaccine for children by September. Said the head of AIIMS today.

A study published earlier this week by The Lancet, one of the world's oldest medical journals, underlined that "living with 11-17 year olds increases the risk of infection by 18-30 percent."

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Gularia said this morning: "This is an important issue. People who are vulnerable - the elderly or those with diseases - are at higher risk of contracting the disease (in cases like this). They may pass it on to grandparents. We need more data, but it's been shown even with influenza. "

About 67 percent of the country's population has developed antibodies, according to the fourth Zero survey released earlier this week.

It is encouraging to see, Dr. Gularia said, that even younger people have developed immunity. "The encouraging thing is that this time it also looked at younger people. There was a lot of concern that children could be affected by the third wave. The survey also found that children may be infected, and to some extent they are protected," he explained.

The AIIMS chief added that India could reopen its schools by the end of this year as children are being vaccinated. "I personally feel that, in a standardized way, physical classes should start. A lot of children who do not have access to online classes are affected. By October, November or the end of the year, when children start being vaccinated, we should be in a state where schools are fully open," he shared.