Covaxin Trial For 6-12 Years: Recruitment Process To Begin Tomorrow

New Delhi: Recruitment for the clinical trial of Covaxin among children aged 2-12 will begin at AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday.

According to Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, the trial will first be held for age group of 6-12. This will be followed by clinical trial among children aged 2-6 years, reported PTI.

Enrolment of volunteers for the age-group of 12-18 years has already been completed and they have been given the first dose of Covaxin.

The trial for those below 18 years of age will be conducted in three parts — 175 volunteers each in the groups of 12-18, 6-12 and 2-6 years.

The vaccine to these young volunteers will be administered by intramuscular route in two doses, 28 days apart.

India’s only indigenously-developed vaccine, by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is being used from the start of India’s mass vaccination drive in mid-January among adults.

Covaxin received permission to conduct phase 2 and 3 trials among children, from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), a month ago.