COVID-19 vaccination for children with comorbidities or health conditions will likely start in January 2022, sources said.
New Delhi: Within the next two weeks, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) will hold a meeting to discuss COVID-19 vaccination for children across India and also draw up a comprehensive plan for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine for adults, sources said
According to a report by NDTV, COVID-19 vaccination for children with comorbidities or health conditions will likely start in January 2022, sources said. All other kids in the country are likely to be eligible for vaccination by March 2022, the sources added.
As all adults in the US are now eligible for additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, other nations are also following suit and considering the same to contain fresh infections. The booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in India are likely to be rolled out for elders and older adults with comorbidities first, just like the phase-wise inoculation drive.
The government is likely to only begin COVID vaccination for kids only after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is approved for children aged 2-18 years. Covaxin has already been recommended for use in children 2-18 years. However, it is yet to get the final nod for EUA from the DCGI.
The government is concerned that supplies of Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine Zy-CoV-D — a three-dose vaccine given emergency use authorisation (EUA) for children between 12-17 years — may not be adequate to start inoculating children.
