No need to vaccinate children against Covid-19 now, says advisory group; Omicron cases cross 200 in India

The panel has informed the Centre that the children are doing fine and there is no need to vaccinate them now.
A woman and two children, wearing masks, take a less-crowded Metro in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo | Vinod Kumar T/EPS)
A woman and two children, wearing masks, take a less-crowded Metro in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo | Vinod Kumar T/EPS)

NEW DELHI: The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) member Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil has, for now, ruled out the need to vaccinate children against Covid-19.

The panel has informed the Centre that the children are doing fine and there is no need to vaccinate them now.

India has not witnessed a single death among children below 12 years of age due to Covid-19, said Muliyil, one of the country's leading epidemiologists, news18.com reports.

After an evaluation meeting held on December 8, NTAGI had said that many companies are still in the process of conducting scientific trials. Thus, no official dates have been announced to commence the vaccination drive for those below the age of 18 in the country.

According to a last month's report, over 100 countries around the world have extended their Covid-19 vaccination drives to children. France on Monday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all children aged 5-11

Meanwhile, Delhi on Tuesday reported 24 new cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19. The number of Omicron cases in the country stood at 202 on Tuesday.

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