Amid reducing intensity in the spread of ongoing wave of pandemic the emergency use authorisation (EUA) to two COVID-19 vaccines — Corbevax for children of 5-11 years age group is yet another measure for safety of children against pandemic. Though fast reducing intensity of covid-19 pandemic poses no threat to the safety of children against pandemic but greater vaccine availability would by all probabilities be a protection for children like adults in the wake of fresh surge in the ongoing wave of covid-19 pandemic. Irrefutable fact is that schools had to be shut for three long years due to unprecedented delays in the availability of covid vaccines for children of all age groups. While the threat of a fresh surge in the intensity of covid-19 pandemic is not over yet the fact remain that more than 60% children of different age groups were infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus. While the vaccination of children was launch in January this year, the antibodies detected in children in mid-2021 were from infection by the virus. Health specialists says that had government not strictly enforced covid protocols to keep children away from gathering the deadly variants in the first two high intensity pandemic periods would have infected most of the children. Though the number of severe cases and deaths in children 5-11 years has been very low, but had the precautionary measures not been taken the figures could have been much higher. With schools reopening, children could be at greater risk if the ongoing wave intensifies anytime in coming months. With emergency use authorisation (EUA) to two COVID-19 vaccines — Corbevax for children of 5-11 years age group the availability of covid vaccines for children would reduce the threat of any surge in pandemic among children of this age group. Notably the Health Ministry had already cleared Corbevax for children of 12-14 years age group and as such it is for the state and UT Governments to vaccinate all children of this age group to ensure that children of all age groups are fully protected against covid-19 pandemic hereafter.
Though children of all age groups were found less vulnerable to successive high intensity variants of covid-19 pandemic in Jammu & Kashmir but vaccination of children against Covid-19 pandemic can’t be compromised in Jammu & Kashmir like all states and union territories of the country.
Significantly Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 27, only a day after the EUA to two covid vaccines for children of 5-11 years age group said that every eligible child should be vaccinated at the earliest which shows that government is concerned about vaccination of children of all age groups in short time. Now it is for all state and UT Governments to ensure vaccination of the children of all age groups as advised by none else than Prime Minister himself. Though children of all age groups were found less vulnerable to successive high intensity variants of covid-19 pandemic in Jammu & Kashmir but vaccination of children against Covid-19 pandemic can’t be compromised in Jammu & Kashmir like all states and union territories of the country.
