India says plan complete for COVID-19 vaccine for 12-18 age group

New Delhi, India | Xinhua |  India’s federal government Friday informed the Delhi high court that a vaccine against COVID-19 for people aged between 12 to 18 may soon be available, local media reported.

The government, in an affidavit to the court, said the vaccine was being developed by Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila.

“Zydus Cadila has concluded its trial for children between the age group of 12 to 18 and is subject to statutory permissions,” a local media report quoted the affidavit submitted by the federal government in the court as saying.

The government also said in May that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted approval to Bharat Biotech to carry out clinical tests on volunteers aged between 2 and 18 for Covaxin.

Last month, Dr. N K Arora, the chairperson of the COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) said Zydus Cadila’s vaccine for the age group is expected to be available by the end of September.

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Xinhua