Zydus vaccine trial to be over soon. Here’s when 12-18-yr-olds can get jabbed
Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine will become the fourth one to get a nod for use against the viral infection in India, if approved by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Zydus Cadila is expected to complete the trial of its Covid-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, by the end of next month and children above 12 years can be vaccinated against the coronavirus in August, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) chief Dr NK Arora has said. "Trial will almost complete till July-end and in August, we will be able to vaccinate children aged between 12-18 years," Arora said, according to news agency ANI.
Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine will become the fourth one to get a nod for use against the viral infection in India, if approved by the Drugs Controller General of India. The company has so far not released any data from its trials. The company’s Covid-19 vaccine, once approved, will be the second indigenously developed one to receive clearance in the country and the first DNA vaccine in the world. It will be a three-dose vaccine and will have to be administered intradermally.
AIIMS Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria told ANI that the Zydus Cadila vaccine is a new platform that is being used and its “something that we should be proud of.” “A platform for which research isn't done in past in our country and now making this new type of vaccine, the data is still being collated and one is hoping that they will be able to submit the data to the DCGI for regulatory approval,” Dr Guleria said.
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“So, one is hopeful and that will depend on the company that how quickly the company is able to collate the data and give it to the regulatory authority,” he added.
Arora also said that the government has targeted administering 1 crore doses every day to achieve the target of immunising everyone in the country within a time bracket of six to eight months. He also dispelled vaccination-related rumours as vague and said that vaccines in India are 95 to 96 per cent safe.
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"It is important that people come forward proactively and take the vaccines, that's absolutely necessary. There are several rumours, misinformation which is spreading in the country. Similarly, people have some vague fear in their minds. They think there may be some side effect or vaccine may be unsafe," Dr Arora was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He said that the government has been looking at adverse events during vaccination. “Ninety-five to ninety-six per cent people have only mild fever or local pain and for to five per cent people have been hospitalised due to an allergy or some get anxious and they have to be hospitalised but otherwise these vaccines are absolutely safe."
