Doctors welcome study that says Covaxin for children is safe, effective

‘Relief for children’

Consultant Paediatrician Dr Vivin Abraham considers the study results to be a relief for children.

“Since children have started going to schools, they are more vulnerable to infection. So, vaccination is the only way to prevent severe infection,” he told South First.

Covaxin, being an inactivated vaccine, is unlikely to show adverse effects like inflammation of heart muscles, unlike the mRNA vaccines, the study found.

Dr K Kolandasamy, former director of the Department of Public Health in Tamil Nadu, stressed that preventing Covid-19 infections in children would help curtail the severity of the pandemic.

“With the emergence of new variants of the virus, the number of cases is going up and more children are getting hospitalised now compared to the earlier phases of the pandemic,” he said.

“Chances of long-term complications of Covid-19 and reduced household transmission are also expected results of the vaccination drive,” Kolandasamy added.

Covaxin storable in refrigerators

The clinical trial was conducted from 21 May to 10 July last year.

It found that the vaccine was stable in warmer temperatures, unlike mRNA vaccines or vector-based vaccines. This makes it easy to store and transport the vaccine.

The Indian government, in April this year, approved the use of Covaxin for children aged 15-18 years.

However, the vaccine’s ability to provide desired immunity under clinical conditions is yet to be studied and determined.