India will start administering Bharat Biotech's Covaxin to children above 15 years of age from 3 January. However, the registration process on Co-WIN began on Saturday, 1 January.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday, 26 December, approved Covaxin for emergency use in children above the age of 12 – making it the only vaccine currently available in India to inoculate children.
How to register for vaccination of children? Here are the latest rules as per government SOPs.
Who is eligible?
Children from the age of 15 years to 18 years are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19. This means that all children born after 2007 will be eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
When will the vaccination process start?
While vaccination for children aged 15-18 will start from 3 January 2022, nothing has yet been confirmed regarding vaccination of children aged 12-14. Watch this space for more information.
How many doses will be provided to the children?
In case of Covaxin, two doses of vaccine will be provided. However, the second dose will be administered within a shorter time gap of 20 days.
When does the registration begin?
Parents can register for their kids starting 1 January.
How to register on Co-WIN?
All those aged 15 years or more will be able to register on Co-WIN.
Beneficiaries can self-register, online through an existing account on Co-WIN or can also register by creating a new account through a unique mobile number, this facility is available for all eligible citizens presently.
Such beneficiaries can also be registered onsite by the verifier/vaccinator in facilitated registration mode.
Is registration on Co-WIN mandatory?
Appointments can be booked online or on-site (walk-in).
What studies say about Covaxin in children?
During August this year, Bharat Biotech had submitted data regarding phrase-III clinical trails on children aged 2 to 18 years. Two months after that, the DCGI nodded in approval for administering Covaxin in children above the age of 12 years. That said, the reports submitted by Bharat Biotech are peer reviewed and no data has yet been made public.
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