Delhi AIIMS to begin Covaxin trial on children from today

New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi will begin recruiting for clinical trials on children aged 6 to 12 today, followed by children aged 2 to 6. The trial for the 6-12 age group will commence tomorrow. The recruitment and clinical trial for single-dose COVAXIN for children aged 12 to 18 have concluded. The primary aim of vaccinating kids will be to stop transmission.

Earlier, AIIMS Patna had started the Paediatric clinical trial of Covaxin after Bharat Biotech received the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) permission to conduct clinical trials on children between the age group of 12-18 years.

If the clinical trials are successful, India will join the list of countries like the US, China, the U.K, and others that have approved vaccination for children. Covaxin is currently only being administered to adults above the age of 18 as part of India’s inoculation drive.

Dr. VK Paul,



Member, Niti Aayog had earlier said that Covaxin has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), for Phase II/III clinical trials in the age category between 2 to 18 years. The DCGI’s decision comes after a Subject Expert Committee recommended that such clearance be granted on May 12.

The trial of Bharat Biotech’s Covid vaccine Covaxin will be conducted on various healthy volunteers at different sites across the country. The trial will study different aspects like the safety of the vaccine in this age group, and the types of adverse reactions and their causes. The trial will also examine the vaccine’s ability to prompt an immune response.

There is no doubt that Vaccines are only given to children after careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals. Covaxin is among the two vaccines that are being used in India’s mass vaccination drive against the Covid-19.