According to sources familiar with the situation, the Union Health Ministry has given the go-ahead to begin the preparatory work for introducing the indigenously developed world’s first DNA-based Covid jab, which will most likely be given to adults first as part of the country’s vaccination drive.
ZyCoV-D is the first vaccine approved for immunization of persons aged 12 and up by India’s pharma authority. ” Company executives are said to have informed the ministry that Zydus Cadila can produce one crore doses of ZyCoV-D each month. Frontline workers and vaccinators will receive brief instruction on using the needle-free pharma jet application in real-world circumstances before administering it to adults.
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The three ZyCoV-D doses will be given 28 days apart, with each dosage consisting of a shot in both arms. On August 20, the pharma regulator granted ZyCoV-D emergency use authorization. Meanwhile, the NTAGI (National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) is building a comprehensive child immunization program, which includes defining a priority list of comorbidities in preparation for launching ZyCoV-D and Covaxin.
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On October 12, the Central Drug Authority’s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 proposed that Covaxin be given emergency use authorization for children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 with specified circumstances. At this time, any person aged 18 or older is eligible to participate in the immunization effort.
