ZyCoV-D, India’s First Covid Vaccine for Children Aged 12+, to be Administered Among Adults in 7 States First

ZyCoV-D, the first Covid-19 vaccine to be cleared by India’s drug regulator for those aged 12 and above, will be administered to adults first, News18 has learnt. The Zydus Cadila shot will not be part of the national vaccination drive initially but will be introduced in seven states first, a top government official privy to the developments said.

The ZyCoV-D vaccine was granted emergency use authorisation for adults and children aged between 12 and 17 in August this year, but there are no guidelines in place for vaccination of minors in India just yet.

Sources said that since the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) has not yet made final recommendations on vaccination for children, it is likely that ZyCov-D will be administered to adults first since it has the shortest shelf-life of 6 months compared to other vaccines like Covaxin and Covishield.

As per the government, the administration of ZyCov-D will start with Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, and the vaccine will initially be used in identified districts where the first dose coverage is low.

Last month, seven batches comprising over 2 lakh doses of ZyCoV-D were released after testing by the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) in Kasauli.

The ZyCov-D vaccine will be administered using a needle-free applicator called “PharmaJet”, as opposed to the traditional syringes. A needle-free applicator ensures painless intradermal vaccine delivery, which also leads to a significant reduction in any kind of major side-effects. Healthcare staff has already been trained on administering the needle-free vaccine.

The ZyCoV-D vaccination consists of three doses to be administered on day 0, day 28 and day 56. Each of the three doses will be given in two shots on each arm. So for an individual to be fully vaccinated with ZyCoV-D, one would have to be injected with six shots of the vaccine. The three-dose vaccine will cost the government Rs 1,128.

The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 125 crore. A total of 79.13 crore (84.3%) beneficiaries have received the first dose and 45.82 crore (49%) have received the second dose of the vaccines, according to a provisional report.

Read all the Latest India News here