India to target kids aged 12 and over for Covid-19 vaccine from October: Sources

Students leaving school on the first day of reopening after 18 months of closure in Bangalore, on Aug 23, 2021. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI (REUTERS) - All Indian children aged 12 or older will become eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations from next month, when drug maker Cadila Healthcare launches its ZyCoV-D product, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The world's first DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D won emergency authorisation from Indian regulators last month.

From October, the company, better known as Zydus Cadila, will produce 10 million doses a month.

The health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The sources sought anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The vaccine is the only one approved for children in India, which has given a total of 825.9 million doses to adults among its population of nearly 1.4 billion.

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