India’s vaccination program for age group of 15-18 yrs

In news- India will start administering Covid-19 vaccines to children in the age group of 15-18 years from 3rd January 2022.

About the vaccination program-

As per the Union Health Ministry, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin will be the only vaccine that will be administered to eligible recipients in the age group of 15-18 years.
This makes it the second Indian vaccine after ZyCoV-D, a DNA plasmid vaccine, to be approved for those above 12.
ZyCoV-D, by Zydus Cadilla, is a three-dose combination whereas Covaxin by Bharat Biotech is a two-dose vaccine to be administered four weeks apart.
The company also says that being an inactivated whole virion vaccine, the dosage for children is the same as those for adults.
Children born in 2007 and earlier shall be eligible to receive the vaccine under this program.
Beneficiaries can register online through an existing account on Co-WIN, or after creating a new account through a unique mobile number.
Children can book a slot using their parents’ existing Co-WIN accounts.
All beneficiaries irrespective of their income status are entitled to get jabbed for free at government vaccination centres.
However, those who visit private hospitals or vaccination centres have to pay the requisite fees.

About Covaxin (for adults)-

It is India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology.
Inactivated vaccines do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effects.
They contain dead viruses, incapable of infecting people but still able to instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection.
Covaxin is included along with immune-potentiators, also known as vaccine adjuvants, which are added to the vaccine to increase and boost its immunogenicity.
It is a vaccine with no sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8 degrees.