India / Bharat Biotech corona vaccine children Covaccine proved safe develop immunity

New Delhi : Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) claimed that its corona vaccine for children, Covaccine, has proved to be safe and develop immunity. A press release issued by the vaccine manufacturer states that the study has been accepted and has been published in the journal 'Lancet Infectious Diseases'.

Bharat Biotech conducted a Phase II/III multicentre study to find out how safe it would be for healthy children and adolescents in the age group of two to 18 years if the vaccine was administered to them. Also, how will their body react after this and what will be its effect on their immunity?

It said that the vaccine was found to be safe in the results of trials conducted on children between June 2021 and September 2021, it did not have any significant effect on health and it increased immunity. This information was submitted to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in October 2021. It was approved for emergency use in people between the ages of six and 18.

'Vaccine safe for children'

Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “It is important to have a vaccine safe for children and we are pleased to report that the data shows that the vaccine is safe for children and increases their immunity. Let us prove it. We have achieved our goal by developing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for adults and children to be given as a primary immunization and booster dose, and by making Covaccine a universal vaccine."

More than 5 crore doses given to children

Based on data from more than 50 million doses given to children in India, this vaccine has proven to be highly safe. Vaccines are an extremely preventive tool. Only if vaccines are used as a preventive measure can their potency be harnessed. The study did not show any serious side effects, the release said. A total of 374 cases of side effects were reported and most of these side effects were minor and went away within a day. Most cases of complaints of pain at the site of vaccination were found.