With the health experts predicting that children will be the most impacted in India in the third wave of COVID-19, research and trials are going on in India and around the world to see if children can be vaccinated against the virus.
A day ago, 20 children were successfully vaccinated in Belagavi with ZyCov-D , a vaccine produced by the Zydus Cadila. Out of 1700 people who participated in the clinical trial of ZyCov-D, 20 of them were children aged between 12 to 18 years old. The vaccine was given in three rounds and this was to see if there will be any side effects of the vaccine on kids.
Here, we look into the other countries who have implemented this and whether it's safe to vaccinate children.
Which countries across the world have vaccinated children against COVID-19?
Several countries including the US, Canada, Switzerland and Singapore have already started vaccinating children. In USA, around 6,00,000 children aged between 12 and 15 have been vaccinated with Pfizer. In India, the clinical trails of Covaxin and ZyCoV-D vaccine are still in process.
Is it safe to vaccine children?
So far, the vaccines administered to children and adolescents have undergone rigorous research and study. And they are proven safe. Many doctors and health experts have said that it is good to vaccinate children as it will help them develop immunity to fight the disease. It will also become less stressful and easy for children to go to schools and involve in physical activities with other kids instead of being confined within four walls.
What does WHO say about vaccinating children?
A few days ago, the World Health Organisation said that wealthier nations like the US, Canada and others can postpone the vaccination of children and share these jabs with other countries to vaccinate adults. For instance, countries like India are facing a shortage of vaccines and many countries in African continent are yet to get started on the vaccination campaign or drives.