COVID-19 vaccines for children will arrive 'very soon', says Mansukh Mandaviya

Ahmedabad: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said results of ongoing research for the development of COVID-19 vaccines for children may arrive next month and the antidote may be launched “very soon”. He said the Centre is committed to vaccinate every citizen against coronavirus. “Our aim is to vaccinate every citizen. The Indian government has already given permission to Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech to conduct research for developing a COVID-19 vaccine for children. “We are expecting that results of their research will arrive next month. I am confident that vaccines for children would become a reality very soon,” Mandaviya told reporters in Rajkot. Recently, AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria had said that data of phase two and three trials of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin on 2 to 18 years age group is expected by September. The Centre had recently informed the Supreme Court that the vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila will be available soon for children who are 12 and above, subject to statutory permissions. It is claimed Zydus Cadila’s coronavirus vaccine ZyCoV-D can be given to both adults and children.