The government will decide on the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine for children below 18 years of age based on scientific rationale and vaccine supply, said Niti Aayog member (health) and the country’s COVID-19 Task Force head, VK Paul, on Sunday.

Paul said that a specific timeline on when vaccination will start for children in the country cannot be given yet, but it will soon commence. He added that the preparation for incorporating Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine into the vaccination program is going on well, and training has already been started. “A pragmatic decision (on vaccination of children and adolescents) can be taken (only) by balancing the supply and the potential eligibility,” he said, in an interview with PTI… (HT, October 17, 2021)