Indigenously developed Zydus Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D has received approval for Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India and it will be administered to people 12 years and above.
With this, ZyCoV-D has also become the first vaccine to be administered to those in the age group of 12-18 years in the country.
This approval assumes importance as there is debate among health experts about a possible third wave of Covid-19 hitting the vulnerable and unvaccinated population, including children.
The second wave that hit the country in April and May caused thousands of deaths as medical facilities collapsed and oxygen shortage hit many states. Experts are anticipating a third wave in the winter.
Will the third wave affect children disproportionately?
Health experts opined that the third wave may impact the unvaccinated, which could be the children but many, including some of India's primary health officials, disagree. A study last month said the widely anticipated third wave is unlikely to impact the children disproportionately, finding that the level of sero-positivity among kids is comparable to the adults during the second wave of the epidemic.
The Indian Academy of Paediatrics also said, "Children are as susceptible as adults and older individuals to develop an infection but not severe disease. It is highly unlikely that the third wave will predominantly or exclusively affect children.”
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday that the Centre is fully ready to tackle a possible third wave of Covid-19 and a provision of Rs 23,123 crore has been made for this purpose. He added that special emphasis is being given to strengthening paediatric care amid apprehension that the third wave may affect children more than others.
Several states are building facilities with more paediatric beds and oxygen supply, due to concern that children returning to school without being vaccinated will be among the most vulnerable during the third wave.
Looking at rising Covid-19 trends in the US where a record number of children are hospitalised due to the Delta variant, states are preparing for the worst.
The Maharashtra government has stockpiled medicines, and built facilities for additional pediatric beds and oxygen provisions in new centres in Mumbai and Aurangabad. Gujarat has set up 15,000 pediatric oxygen beds. Karnataka is reviewing its pediatric beds estimates and Delhi is also increasing its health infrastructure to deal with Covid-19 as the national capital was one of the worst-hit regions in the second wave.
Meanwhile, schools in at least 11 of the 28 states have opened after more than a year of closures, raising worries these could become breeding grounds for transmission of the virus.
Vaccines for children in India
Apart from Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech is conducting trials for children aged between 2 and 18 years and the results for them are expected in September or October.
AstraZeneca is also conducting trials in the age group 6-17 but no data is in yet.