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COVID Vaccination for Children in India: A Step Towards Better Health, Wellbeing and Development


Affiliations
1 Consultant Family Medicine and Holistic Health, Dr Varsha’s Health Solutions, Mumbai, India
     

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As on December 2021, COVID vaccination for children is yet to commence in India, a country that has been a global leader in vaccinating the adult population. Two indigenous vaccines have already been approved for children 12 years and above by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), with vaccination set to commence for children aged 15 years and above in January 2022. Children are being considered as low risk and low priority for vaccination, as in them, COVID is commonly mild, and complications, rare. However, the impact of the evolving SARS-CoV-2 mutants on children cannot be fully predicted, and some children have comorbidities and immune deficiencies putting them at higher risk. Moreover, children not being vaccinated has contributed significantly to parental anxiety and reluctance in sending them to school, and also the schools continuing hybrid teaching and not being able to start physical and interactive activities that can improve children’s holistic health, wellbeing and development. As globally across several countries, children are now being vaccinated, this is being expected from India too. Vaccination of children may not only enhance protection against severe COVID and unpredictable variants, but can help the children return to a more wholesome school life and childhood.



Keywords

Vaccination, COVID, children, school, development
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  • COVID Vaccination for Children in India: A Step Towards Better Health, Wellbeing and Development

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Authors

Varsha Narayanan
Consultant Family Medicine and Holistic Health, Dr Varsha’s Health Solutions, Mumbai, India

Abstract


As on December 2021, COVID vaccination for children is yet to commence in India, a country that has been a global leader in vaccinating the adult population. Two indigenous vaccines have already been approved for children 12 years and above by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), with vaccination set to commence for children aged 15 years and above in January 2022. Children are being considered as low risk and low priority for vaccination, as in them, COVID is commonly mild, and complications, rare. However, the impact of the evolving SARS-CoV-2 mutants on children cannot be fully predicted, and some children have comorbidities and immune deficiencies putting them at higher risk. Moreover, children not being vaccinated has contributed significantly to parental anxiety and reluctance in sending them to school, and also the schools continuing hybrid teaching and not being able to start physical and interactive activities that can improve children’s holistic health, wellbeing and development. As globally across several countries, children are now being vaccinated, this is being expected from India too. Vaccination of children may not only enhance protection against severe COVID and unpredictable variants, but can help the children return to a more wholesome school life and childhood.



Keywords


Vaccination, COVID, children, school, development

References