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 yea
rs 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.