Covid-19 vaccine: Covovax now available for children in India, says Adar Poonawalla

New Delhi, May 3: Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Tuesday announced that the Covid-19 vaccine Covovax is now available for children in India. The CEO of the vaccine manufacturer company also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision of providing another vaccine for children. "Covovax (Novavax), is now available for children in India. This is the only vaccine manufactured in India that is also sold in Europe and has an efficacy of 90 percent. This is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of providing yet another vaccine to protect our children," Poonawalla tweeted. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) last week approved the Serum Institute of India's Covovax Covid-19 vaccine for children in the age group of 12 to 17 years. Also Read | India is unstoppable; its time on world stage has come: PM's Special Advisor However, the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) subject expert committee has sought additional data on the Covovax from the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) for the age group of 7-12 years. Covid-19 vaccination for minors in India began on January 3 for those aged 15 to 18, employing Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. On March 16, the effort was expanded to include children over the age of 12 for Biological E's Corbevax. Also Read | Chandigarh revokes its decision restricting unvaccinated students from attending classes -PTC News