Subject Expert Committee okays Covovax for 12-17 year-olds

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Central Drugs Control Standard Organisation on Friday recommended Serum Institute of India's (SII) Covid-19 vaccine, Covovax, for emergency use authorisation in the 12-17 age group, people in the know told ET.

The recommendation is yet to be approved by the DCGI. Pune-based SII had last month sought restricted emergency use of Covovax in adolescents.

The WHO in December last year allowed emergency use of SII's version of US firm Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine. As of now, only Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is being used to vaccine those in the age group between 15 and 18.


Earlier in February, the DCGI granted approval to Biological E's Corbevax for use in adolescents aged between 12 and 18. However, this vaccine is yet to be included in the vaccination drive. According to the health ministry on Friday, India has administered more than 1.78 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses. In the last 24 hours, 2.48 million vaccine doses were administered.