Covid vaccine for children aged 3 and above to be launched in next 6 months: Adar Poonawala

New Delhi, Dec 14: The Covovax COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3 and above will be launched in next 6 months, said Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla, at CII Partnership Summit.

"Our vaccine will be launched in six months," Poonawalla said. The vaccine 'Covovax' is under trial and would offer protection to children all the way down to three years.

Currently, Covishield and other COVID vaccines are approved for people above the age of 18 years.

"We haven't seen a lot of severe disease in children. Fortunately, the panic is not there for children. However, we will be launching a vaccine in six months for children, hopefully down to the age of three," Poonawalla said.

He noted that already there are two companies in India that are licensed and their vaccines will be available soon.

"I think yes, you should take and get your children vaccinated. There is no harm, these vaccines have been proven to be safe and efficacious and all of that. If you feel you want to get your children vaccinated by all means wait for government announcements on that and you go ahead with that.

"Our vaccine Covovax will be launched for children in six months," Poonawalla said, adding that Covovax is under trial and has shown excellent data all the way down to the age group of three years.

On the Omicron virus, Poonawala said that there was enough data to show that the vaccines will work and protect people against infectious disease.

"On the back of enough data, it is safe to say that booster vaccine doses are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent," said Poonawalla on Omicron.

He pointed out that so far nothing can be said about the Omicron variant as to how it would impact the children.

"I don't know what will happen with Omicron but so far the children have not been affected very badly with this (COVID) virus. I think their body, cells and their lungs recover better," he said.