11 per cent of total Covid cases in country reported in persons aged below 20: Govt

Around 11 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country have been reported in persons aged less than 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The minister was responding to a question on the number of children up to 18 years of age who have contracted COVID-19 as of July 2021.

Giving details of COVID-19 vaccines for children which are in the pipeline/trial stage, Pawar, in a written reply, said the national regulator -- CDSCO -- has granted permission to conduct clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in children to Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad (in age group 2 to 18) for phase-II/III of Whole-Virion Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine and to Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Ahmedabad (in age group ≥12 yrs and above) for phase-III clinical trial of DNA-based vaccine.

The outcome of these trials will depend on data emerging from the trial for the purpose of its approval and availability in the country, the minister said.