Covid vaccine for kids likely in Sept or soon after: Expert

Phase II and III trials of Covaxin for paediatric use are currently on and the vaccine could be available for this age group by September or soon after, said Dr Priya Abraham, director of Pune’s ICMR-National Institute of Virology. Excerpts from the interview:


How much has the Covaxin trial on children advanced and by when can a vaccine be expected?

Presently, phase II and III trials of Covaxin are going on for children between 2-18 years. Hopefully, the results will be available soon. They will be presented to the regulators. So, by September or just after it, we may have Covid-19 vaccines for children. This apart, Zydus Cadila’s vaccine trial is also going on for children.

Apart from these, what other vaccines are in the pipeline?

Zydus Cadila’s vaccine will be the first DNA vaccine available for use. Besides, there is Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd’s m-RNA vaccine, Biological-E vaccine, Serum Institute of India’s Novovax and, another interesting one–an intranasal vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, which does not require a jab and can be delivered through nostrils.


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Are any available vaccines effective on the Delta Plus variant?

Firstly, the Delta-plus variant is less likely to spread than Delta, which is present in over 130 countries. In NIV, we have studied the antibodies produced in vaccinated people and checked it against this variant. We found that the efficacy of antibodies against Delta reduces two to three folds. Yet, the vaccines are protective against the variants.

Will we require a booster dose? Is any study being conducted?
Studies have been going on overseas. At least seven different vaccines have been tried out for booster dose. Now, the WHO has put a stop to it till more countries catch up with vaccination.

Is mixing and matching of vaccines studied?

There was a situation where inadvertently two different vaccines were given in two doses. We have tested those samples at NIV and found that the patients were safe. No adverse effect was noted.