Trials on ZyCov-D vaccine for children conducted at four sites in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: As the date for the vaccine roll-out for children aged 12 years and above draws closer, the clinical trials of the ZyCov-D needle-free vaccine are underway. Bengaluru has been chosen to be part of the clinical trials conducted across the country.

The trials were conducted in 4 locations, namely Apollo Speciality Hospitals- Jayanagar, Bengaluru-KIMS Medical College Hospital, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, and N R R Hospital.

They were conducted on 28,000 patients across India including 1,000 children and the rest being adolescents between the ages 12-18. "Through the trials, the company concluded the efficacy of the vaccine at 66 per cent. The company claims that the trials were conducted at the peak of the pandemic and hence the efficacy rates can be considered efficient," said Dr Ravindra Mehta, Senior Pulmonologist at Apollo Hospital and in charge of the trial site. He added that this vaccine could also be more effective against the Delta strain as the trials were being conducted while the particular strain was prominent.

"The ZyCov-D is a plasmid DNA vaccine that informs body cells to make the spike protein to incite an immune reaction. The specialised needle-free Pharmajet technology is injected intra-dermally and the vaccine is transport from the skin layers to the cells. It's one of the few DNA vaccines to be made available and first to be approved for Covid-19." he added.

Talking about the efficiency of the vaccine through this system, he said that needle-free vaccines are used for other diseases as well and hence it should not be cause for worry.

During the trials, no major side effects were reported and the vaccine is expected to roll out by month-end.

Currently, the vaccine is delivered in three shots and the company is trying to get approval for two shots but no approval has been given regarding this. As per reports, the Drugs Controller General of India has provided approval to Zydus Cadila for the phase III trials of the two-dose vaccine.

Speaking about if booster shots will be required m he said that "It's too early to talk about the immunity period from getting the vaccine but an average estimated period is 6 months. The need for booster shots can only be determined after finding more conclusive data on the immunity period" he added.