NEW DELHI, Jul 31 (NNN-PTI) – Indian Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, yesterday urged scientists, to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccine for children, saying that, protecting children from the virus should be given priority.
Naidu was addressing scientists and staff of the Bharat Biotech International Limited, after a visit to its plant in Hyderabad.
“The constantly mutating virus poses unforeseen challenges, and forces us to find solutions that will save lives and protect livelihoods. We have to individually and collectively contribute to this national and international effort,” he said.
The vice president emphasised that the ongoing vaccination drive against COVID-19 should become a pan-India movement and appealed to the people to get vaccinated.
“It is now clear that vaccination is preventing hospitalisation and severe disease when infected,” he said.
India’s federal health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya told lawmakers from his party, the government is likely to start vaccinating children against COVID-19 by next month.
Experts said, vaccinating children will be a giant step in breaking the chain of transmission of COVID-19 infection and would help a lot in the reopening of schools across the country, amid warnings of a possible third wave of the pandemic.
Last week, Director of India’s premier health institute – All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria, said, the country is likely to start vaccinating children by Sept.
NK Arora, who heads the National Expert Group on Vaccines, also said, vaccination for children will start by Sept, with the Zydus vaccine for 12 to 18-year-olds.
At present India is vaccinating people above 18 years of age. The Indian government aims to vaccinate the entire population by the end of this year.– NNN-PTI
