Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech has said that there are reports that children in the age group of 15-18 years are being administered COVID-19 vaccines that are not authorized for them. Expressing concerns over the report, the drugmaker has urged health care workers to be highly ‘vigilant’. “Make sure that only Covaxin is being administered to kids in the age group of 15-18 years,” Bharat Biotech said.
The vaccination drive for children in the above-mentioned age group started on January 3. The company took to Twitter to raise the issue and said that Covaxin is the only vaccine that has been approved for kids based on the clinical trial evaluation.
“Covaxin received approval based on thorough clinical trial evaluation for safety and immunogenicity in the 2-18 years age group. Currently, it is the only COVID-19 vaccine in India approved for children,” it said in a Tweet.
#covaxin #COVID19Vaccine #covaxinapproval #COVID19 #BharatBiotech #vaccination #healthcareworkers #covidwarriors #covaxinannouncement pic.twitter.com/sqPCLZZ4NG
— BharatBiotech (@BharatBiotech) January 7, 2022
Covaxin is an indigenously developed vaccine and so far it is the only vaccine that has been approved for kids in India.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech has said that children getting vaccinated should not get painkillers. The company said that they received feedback about certain immunization centres recommending paracetamol to kids who are getting vaccinated with Covaxin.
“No paracetamol or pain killers are recommended for kids after they get inoculated with Covaxin,” the company said.
Following the Drug Controller General of India granting approval to Bharat Biotech for its Covaxin vaccine for children in the age group of 15-18 years, the vaccination drive was started in India.
The drugmaker said that there were around 30,000 individuals who were part of the clinical trials and around 10-20 per cent of them reported side effects. However, most of the side effects were mild and disappeared within 1-2 days and none of them required medication.
“Before taking any medicine, it is important to consult a physician. Paracetamol was recommended along with certain other COVID-19 vaccines but it is not recommended for Covaxin,” the company said.
