T(w)eens, Welcome to Covid Vaccines!

As India inoculates a larger portion of its population, it must remember that a big portion of the world’s population has yet to get their first or second vaccination. It needs to restore its grants and increase vaccine exports to underdeveloped countries.

The government’s decision to extend the Covid-19 vaccination programme to cover children aged 12 to 14 and to make the booster – or ‘precautionary’ – dose available to all older adults, not just those with comorbidities, could not have come at a better time. Expanding India’s vaccinated population would help keep hospitalisation plus disease severity at bay. In this respect, the expert group and regulator should seriously explore boosters for people under the age of 60.

COVID-19 Vaccination : 12-14 Age Group Vaccination

In India, the 12-to-14-year-old group numbers 80-85 million people. The Drugs Controller General of India has authorized the use of 3 vaccines: ZyCov-D, Covaxin, and Corbevax (DCGI). Efficacy studies must be provided and published by vaccine inventors and producers, according to DCGI. This is critical for spreading immunisation and ensuring vaccine recognition over the world. As travel for business, study, and vacation resumes, vaccine equivalency is a big concern.

With this in mind, India must solve the booster issue. In many nations, a full vaccination is defined as a two-dose initial immunisation followed by a booster shot. When the expert committee and DCGI have established which, a booster is not needed for those under the age of 60 based on scientific assessments, then all these studies should be extensively published within peer-reviewed journals.

In Europe and the United Kingdom, Oxford-vaccine AstraZeneca’s (Covishield in India) was the cornerstone of primary vaccination, whilst their regulators suggested an mRNA vaccine as just a booster. The booster vaccine throughout India is a repeat of the first vaccine. Booster efficacy studies should be published. DCGI must work with the World Health Organization (WHO) and regulators such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the European Medicines Agency to solve concerns of equivalence and recognition (EMA).

As India inoculates a larger portion of its population, it must remember that a big portion of the world’s population has yet to get their first or second vaccination. It needs to restore its grants and increase vaccine exports to underdeveloped nations.