E-Paper
Awaiting central govt letter to start vaccinating 5-12 year-old kids: State immunisation officer
PUNE A day after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved administering two Covid-19 vaccines among the 5-12 years age group, the state government has said that it is yet to get an official letter from the central government to start the immunisation
PUNE A day after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved administering two Covid-19 vaccines among the 5-12 years age group, the state government has said that it is yet to get an official letter from the central government to start the immunisation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, while addressing a meeting along with state chief ministers and health officials said that vaccination for kids must be top priority.
Even as the DCGI has given its approval, final decision to roll out vaccine as part of national inoculation programme will be after recommendation from the National Technical Advisory Board on Immunisation for Covid-19.
“While the DCGI has approved two drugs for children aged under 12, the vaccine is yet to get approval from the National Technical Advisory Group on immunisation, after which an official letter would be sent to all states to begin vaccinating children. Only after that we would be able to begin the state-wide vaccination drive,” said Dr Sachin Desai, State immunisation officer.
The DCGI had approved for restricted use in emergency situations to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in the paediatric age group between 12 and 18 years, making it the second vaccine after Zydus Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D to be approved for this age group. Also Biological E’s Corbevax has been approved for administration in children aged 5-12 years. As of now Covaxin is being administered in children aged 15-18 years, and Biological E’s Corbevax vaccine in children aged 12 -15 years under the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.
