'Covovax now available for children in India', says Adar Poonawalla, hails Modi
Serum Institute of India (SII) director for government and regulatory affairs Prakash Kumar Singh had written to the Centre recently requesting for Covovax's inclusion in the immunisation drive for children aged 12 to 17 years.
Children aged 12 to 17 years in India can now get the Serum Institute of India's (SII) Covid-19 vaccine Covovax, pharma company's CEO Adar Poonawalla announced on Tuesday. “Covovax (@Novavax), is now available for children in India. This is the only vaccine manufactured in India that is also sold in Europe and has an efficacy of > 90%,” Poonawalla tweeted.
He also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of providing another vaccine for children.
“This is in line with Shri @narendramodi Ji's vision of providing yet another vaccine to protect our children,” he added.
Covovax is the second Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by SII, which makes the Covishield, the dose that is most widely used in the country. On December 28, the DCGI had approved Covovax for emergency use in adults, and approved the vaccine for emergency use in those aged 12 and above in March this year, making it the fourth Covid vaccine approved for emergency use in children in this age group.
The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) had recently recommended that Covovax be included in the government’s programme for children aged 12 and above.
On Monday, news agency PTI reported that Covovax can now be available at private centres with a provision for it being made on the CoWIN portal.
A dose of Covovax will cost ₹900 plus GST, in addition to hospital service charge of ₹150.
Currently, children aged 12 to 14 years are vaccinated with Biological E's intramuscular vaccine Corbevax, while those in the 15-18 age group are being administered Bharat Biotech's Covaxin at government vaccination centres.
