The registration for the COVID-19 vaccine for 12-14 years children in India has begun. The Union Health Ministry announced the news on Twitter and informed the states and the UTs about the precautions and guidelines that are needed to be followed. In the Tweet, the minister said, “Safe children means safe India. I am happy to inform that from March 16 Covid vaccination for children in the age group of 12 to 14 will begin. Also, everyone aged 60+ will now be able to get precaution doses. I urge the families of children and people in the age group of 60+ to get the third dosage.”
, PM @NarendraModi ‘#SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine’ 12-14 60+
, pic.twitter.com/sz0eg4zObD Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) March 16, 2022
Which Vaccine Will Be Given?
The COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the 12-14 years age group would be Corbevax manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad. The centre got the nod for the roll-out of the Corbevax vaccine in the country in end-December, 2021. The Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) by India’s Drug Regulator was given to the vaccine in the month of February.
Talking about the efficacy of the Corbevax vaccine, the makers said that in the phase III trial, the vaccine demonstrated superior immune response in comparison with Covishield against the ancestral-Wuhan strain and the globally dominant Delta variant.
According to the trial reports, the Corbevax vaccine showed the effectiveness of over 90 per cent against the original first COVID-19 strain and was more than 80 pre cent effective in preventing symptomatic infections with the Delta variant.
How Does Corbevax Vaccine Works?
Unlike the other vaccines which are being administered in India to fight the novel coronavirus, Corbevax uses a recombinant protein platform. The Corbevax targets the spike protein on the virus particle’s surface. However, instead of instructing cells to replicate them, the vaccine injects a small volume of cloned spike proteins grown in a lab. The immune system then recognises these proteins as a threat and develops a response accordingly, ultimately, reducing the ability of the live virus to infect cells and cause serious disease.
What Is The Price of Corbevax Doses?
According to the reports, the Corbevax COVID vaccine could be the cheapest vaccine available in India with its two shots expected to be cumulatively priced at below Rs 400.
Other vaccines against the deadly virus which are also present in India, are – Covishield which costs about Rs 300-Rs 400 for a single dose while the Russian Sputnik V costs around Rs 1,000. Covaxin costs about Rs 1,400 for its two doses.
However, all the government-run hospitals and healthcare centres will provide the vaccine for free.
Gaps Between Two Doses
The Corbevax vaccine against COVID-19 will be administered through intramuscular route with two doses scheduled 28 days apart and is stored at 2 to 8 degrees’ Celsius temperature and presented as 0.5 ml (single dose) and 5 ml (10 doses) vial and 10 mL (20 doses) vial pack.
What Are The Possible Side Effects?
Some of the common post-vaccine side effects may include –
- Mild fever
- Dizziness
- Pain in the injection area
- Fatigue
- Mild headache
- Body ache
However, so far the vaccine makers have not stated anything about the side effects in children who will be administered the Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine. The ones which are mentioned above are some of the most common side effects which are seen among those who get their jabs.
How To Register for The Vaccine?
The registration process for the children 12-14 years of age on the CoWIN platform has begun from 9am on Wednesday. Here are the steps for registering your child for the COVID vaccine doses:
- Open the Co-WIN portal using the link www.cowin.gov.in and,
- Click on the “Register/Sign In” tab to register for COVID-19 vaccination and,
- Enter your valid mobile number.
- Click on request an OTP, and you will receive a one-time password on your mobile number.
- Feed the OTP in the required box on the portal and hit ‘verify’.
- Then you will betaken directly to the ‘Register for vaccination’ page.
- Click on ‘register’.
Please note that online registration is mandatory for all the children in the age group 12-14 to get the jab.
The announcement for the vaccination drive for 12-14 years children comes at a time when schools across the country are opening up given the considerable decline in the COVID cases. The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started on February 2 last year.
