Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology has proven to be safe well-tolerated and highly immunogenic in pediatric subjects in phase II/III study. 

In the study, no serious Adverse Events (AE) were reported out of the total 374 AE reported among the majority. These AE such as pain in the injection site etc. were the mildest symptoms and resolved within 1 day. Dr. Pragya D Yadav, stated that the inclusion of younger age groups in vaccination drives would help in breaking the infection chain and diminish the outbreak. She also added that the vaccine showed a superior response among the pediatric group in comparison to adults. However, supplementary surveillance studies are under process to identify and eliminate “rarer adverse events”.

Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and MD, Bharat Biotech, stated that the trial has established Covaxin as a universal vaccination that is safe and effective for adults and children in both dosage forms i.e., primary immunization dose and the booster dose. Meanwhile, Dr. Rajiv Jaydevan, Co-chairperson of, the Indian Medical Association’s National Task Force, stated that the vaccine is capable of generating neutralizing antibodies to protect against infection.

(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pune-trial-results-show-covaxin-safe-for-2-18-years-age-group/articleshow/92291222.cms)