The Serum Institute of India has said it will provide a Covid 19 vaccine for children as young as three years of age within the next six months.
Chief executive Adar Poonawalla said on Wednesday that his company’s Covovax, the Indian version of the US-based based Novavax vaccine for children, is under clinical trial and will be made available next year.
The institute, based in the western city of Pune, was one of the first vaccine makers to receive the government’s emergency nod for the manufacture of Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield in January. It has so far produced more than 1.30 billion doses.
“We are going to be launching a vaccine in six months for children all the way down to the age of three,” Mr Poonawala said at a business summit.
“The vaccines will work and protect children … with Omicron, so far, children have not been affected very badly but there is no harm as these vaccines have been proven to be safe and efficacious,” he said.
The head of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer said Covovax trials had shown excellent results all the way down to the age group of three.
The announcement comes at a time when schools across the country are reopening and the threat of new infections looms due to a surge in Omicron cases.
India has confirmed 60 cases of the highly infectious variant, including in cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai, since early December.
Some health experts and epidemiologists have underscored the need for vaccines to cover children. However, the government has so far only given approval to Zydus Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D vaccine for children aged 12.
In November, the country's health minister said that the government was in no rush to administer Covid-19 vaccines to children and would make a decision based on expert opinion.
The Serum Institute of India received permission to conduct phase 2 and 3 clinical Covovax trials on children between the ages of two and 17. It is currently conducting trails on 920 children between three and 17 years.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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2070km to run
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45 pairs of running shoes
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