Nearly a year after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers, the primary immunization program to cover 75 million adolescents aged 15-17 across the country began on January 3. About 0.4 million children received the first dose. Day. All adults aged 18 years and above are already being covered, reducing the eligibility age group to 15 years from the inclusion of adolescents. The decision to vaccinate teenagers, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 last year, was based on the emergence of the highly transmissive Omron variant, nearly a month after it was designated as a variant of concern in several countries. spread up. , global case growth, and trends in immunization of adolescents and children in many developed countries. Although there is no clear consensus on whether healthy adolescents over 15 years of age should be vaccinated, especially as severe disease and death in this age group are relatively low when infected with the virus and adolescents and adolescents A significant percentage of children are already infected as indicated by some. Sero survey enhances level of vaccination protection. Unlike the case of adults, who were vaccinated with one of two vaccines — Covashield or Covaxin — teens would only be given Covaxin. It was found to be safe and immunogenic in adolescents during Phase-2/3 of the clinical trial; Only 175 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years were studied. Data from the test, yet to be peer-reviewed, were posted on the preprint server on 29 December. In the case of adults, eligible adolescents will receive a second dose 28 days after the first dose.
Apart from providing primary vaccine to adolescents, health care and frontline workers and people above 60 years with co-morbidities will be provided with a precautionary dose. Providing Covaxin as a precautionary dose to all people receiving the same vaccine as part of the primary vaccination schedule, scientifically called a homogenous vaccine booster, would be the best approach at least until the booster as there is evidence of using a different vaccine. Although Covaccin accounts for only 10% of all doses given so far, scientific bodies need to take into account the availability of the vaccine as well. This becomes especially important because only Covaxin is used to vaccinate adolescents and its production is very limited compared to Covashield. Therefore the need to test other vaccines, which can be used in place of Covaxin as an additional dose in adults, is overwhelming. The approval of two additional vaccines, which are manufactured using different vaccine platforms, will further reduce the reliance on Covaxin for primary immunization of adults, thus ensuring that the vaccination program for adolescents suffers from shortfalls in the middle. Not there.
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