Serum Institute seeks EUA for its Covovax vaccine for 12-17 years age group

In the application for emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the 12-17 year age group, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, is learnt to have stated that data from two studies on about 2,707 individuals aged 12 to 17 years show Covovax is highly efficacious, immunogenic, safe and well-tolerated in this age group.

PTI

February 21, 2022 / 19:20 IST

(Representative Image)

Serum Institute of India has sought emergency use authorisation from India’s drug regulator for its COVID-19 vaccine Covovax for the 12 to 17 year age group, official sources said on Monday.

The government has not yet decided on vaccinating those aged below 15.

The Health Ministry had recently said the additional need for vaccination and inclusion of population for inoculation is examined constantly.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine | Corbevax gets DCGI nod for emergency use on 12-18 year olds

In the application for emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the 12-17 year age group, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, is learnt to have stated that data from two studies on about 2,707 individuals aged 12 to 17 years show Covovax is highly efficacious, immunogenic, safe and well-tolerated in this age group.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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