As vaccination begins for adults, India needs a plan for inoculating its below-18 population

The US could begin vaccinating children over the age of 12 with the Pfizer-biontech Covid-19 vaccine (Phase 3 trials showed 100% efficacy) soon. An authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration is expected as early as next week.

The EU drug regulator, European Medicines, on Monday announced that it too is evaluating data submitted by Pfizer-biontech on the vaccine’s efficacy

NEW DELHI:

and safety for children between the ages of 12 and 15.

In both the US and the EU, the Pfizer-biontech vaccine has already been approved for use on anyone over the age of 16.

Even as India works on getting its vaccine strategy for the 18-plus segment right — the drive has been plagued by shortages and vaccine hesitancy is still high in many parts of the country — it needs a plan for those below the age of 18, a staggering 450 million people.

Till Sunday night, India had administered 158 million doses of vaccines to around 129 million people (100 million have received one shot of the vaccine and 29 million, both).

India should definitely start thinking in terms of vaccinating those under the age of 18 -- if they are not protected, neither will the country be safe, nor will it be able to open up to any sort of new normal -- and there are two key factors that need to be considered, say experts.

The first is the country’s slow progress in vaccinating those over the age of 18, with just around 14% of the eligible segment (those over the age of 18) getting at least one shot of the vaccine.

“At the moment the urgency is to cover the older age groups and comorbidties so that people do not die. Ultimately we need to vaccinate children and vaccines are being tested in children,” said Dr Gagandeep Kang, one of country’s top vaccinologists, from the Christian Medical College, Vellore.