Apollo Hospitals To Provide Free Covid Vaccination To Children With Comorbidities

As for now, Zydus Cadilla’s vaccine ZyCoV-D has emergency use authorization from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for those above the age of 12 years.

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New Delhi: Children with “specified comorbidities” will receive free covid-19 vaccination jabs across all the Apollo Hospitals, announced the health care group. The announcement has come as the government approval for the emergency use of vaccines for children is awaited. 

A statement from the Apollo Hospitals mentioned in a PTI report said that it is anticipating the approval for vaccinating children will soon be given, and immediately after the approval, the vaccination drive will be launched. 

The eligibility list for vaccine is expected to include children with haematological, neurological, cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, rheumatic, cancer, respiratory, genitourinary, and developmental disorders. However, this is an indicative list and the final list will be announced as per the government list, said Apollo Hospitals.

“Adults have been the focus of vaccination till now as by and large, children have been spared from severe Covid infection. However, this is not the case in children with co-morbidities. These children continue to be at high risk of developing a severe infection. In addition, children with comorbidities have also seen a significant psychosocial impact as the lockdown resulted in their missing out on the personalised attention and specialised treatment and care that they require,” said Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.

As for now, Zydus Cadilla’s vaccine ZyCoV-D has emergency use authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for those above the age of 12 years. Though the vaccine is yet to be introduced in the nationwide inoculation drive.

Apart from this, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is also under evaluation for emergency use approval for children between 2-18 years by DCGI. Both these vaccines will be available in Apollo hospitals once the government approvals are in place and vaccines are available. 

"Realising the criticality of this vaccination, we will be extending the Covid vaccines completely free of cost to children with co-morbidities and giving them the necessary 'kavach' (shield) against Covid," emphasized Reddy.