According to guidelines issued for vaccination of children aged between 12 and 14 years, only Corbevax would be administered to this age group. Two shots of Biological E’s intramuscular vaccine would be administered at an interval of 28 days, Health Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan, said on Tuesday.
Registration for the vaccination programmewill begin from Wednesday and will be activated on the CoWIN platform on the same day. Appointments can be booked through both modes -- walk-in or online, the guidelines state.
While there are nearly 4.7 crore children in the 12-14 years age group. Biological E has delivered 4.8 crore doses to the Centre, as per the advisory.
Registration can be self-registration through an existing Co-WIN account of a family member or by creating a new account through a unique mobile number, the letter issued to all the States/UTs.
“Covid hasn’t yet impacted children much in the last two years, but it has to be kept in mind that children with comorbidities are 5 to 7 times more vulnerable to serious diseases. Also, 10 to 15 per cent of children between 12-18 years in our country have comorbidities, so it was decided that these children must get their vaccine dose. In general vaccination programmes, it is difficult to identify such children who fall in the high-risk category, so in that case it became imperative to start a drive for such a section separately, like we did for the 15-18 age group of children,” NK Arora, chief of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) told BuisinessLine.
Meanwhile, in view of the recent resurgence of Covid cases in China and the risk of a new variant, which is a mix of the Delta and Omicron variant, it is important to inoculate children to prepare well in advance if any other wave hits the country, Arora further added.
Apprehensive parents
Corbevax efficacy data has not yet been made public and this has deterred parents from getting their children immunised. Delhi-based Meenakshi Thakur, who is a mother of a 12-year-old boy said, “I am doubtful that I will get my child vaccinated with Corbevax. The Government hasn’t yet disclosed its efficacy data.” Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar, who is a resident of Noida said, “if cases remain low and there is no indication of another wave in sight, then I will not get my child vaccinated.”
However, Sanjeev Mehra, who is based out of Ghaziabad, is keen on getting his son vaccinated. “My daughter who is fifteen years old is already vaccinated. I have a 12-year-old son. I don’t have any problem in inoculating my child if the Health Ministry has approved the vaccine,” Mehra added.
No need for hurry to vaccinate children, says NTAGI member
According to Jayaprakash Muliyil, a member of NTAGI, parents should not be coerced into vaccination as children with a history of Covid is very satisfying. “In severe disease cases also, we are not sure whether mortalities occurred due to Covid or the comorbid condition,” he said. He further added that parents should make a decision on their own about vaccination as various studies showed there was no need to immunise children. He stated that there is a need for further studies on children vaccination to get better clarity.
On the efficacy data of the Corbevax vaccine, Muliyil said, “I have not seen it in children. The Indian study was not designed to show efficacy data, but it did show seroconversion.”
In addition, in view of a resurgence of cases in China, Muliyil said it is a good sign that Omicron has hit the neighboring country. He added that the Omicron wave will wipe out the Delta in China like India, which is nearly 100 per cent Omicron dominant now.