‘Ready to roll out vax for kids at short notice’

BHUBANESWAR: The state is ready to roll out vaccines for children in the 2-18 age group at short notice after the Centre issues guidelines for the same, government authorities said on Tuesday. There are around 1.40 crore children in Odisha in the 2-18 age group.
Hours after the subject expert committee (SEC) on Covid-19 recommended emergency use authorisation of Covaxin on children, Odisha health minister Naba Kishore Das said, “We are fully ready to implement the drive whenever the Centre asks us to do so.”
Director family welfare and state’s immunization in-charge Bijay Panigrahi said the health department will make the micro-planning as per Centre’s guidelines. Health experts see the development as a logical step in India’s fight against Covid.
E Venkata Rao, a professor of community medicine at SUM Hospital, who was involved in the clinical trial of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for the adult population, said the safety and efficacy of the vaccine has been established. “With the SEC nod, it’s now a matter of time before it is used in the paediatric age group. This will help address the concern that children may be at risk in possible future waves. The vaccine has proven to be completely safe,” Rao said.
Arijit Mohapatra, a paediatric specialist, said, “It will help restore normalcy in the life of children. After vaccination, authorities will be confident of reopening schools. That is very important for normal growth of children.”
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