Guidelines On Covaxin For 15-18 Age Group Do Not Mention EUL By WHO: Govt Slams 'Ill-Informed, Misleading' Media Reports

The government on Friday (7 January) slammed media reports suggesting that the approval for Covaxin vaccine for 15-18 years age group has been given despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) not having accorded Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to its use in this age bracket.

"Such reports are highly ill- informed, misleading and far from the truth," the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that the guidelines issued by the government at no place mention about EUL by WHO.

The guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry on December 2021, under the heading “New beneficiaries aged 15-18 years” state that "For such beneficiaries, option for vaccination would only be available for Covaxin as this is the only vaccine with EUL for the age-group 15-18", the ministry said.

The EUL by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the national regulator, for Covaxin vaccine for the 12-18 age group was accorded on 24 December 2021.

Subsequently, the Guidelines for vaccination of 15-18 yr age group of young adults and precaution dose for other identified categories was issued by a Union Health Ministry on 27 December 2021, the ministry added.