Colombian Drug Regulator Approves Use Of China's COVID-19 Vaccine For Children Aged 6-12

Colombian Drug Regulator Approves Use of China's COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Aged 6-12

The Colombian National Institute of Drug and Food Surveillance (Invima) approved the use of China's Sinovac vaccine in children aged six to 12 after analyzing data from other countries

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2021) The Colombian National Institute of Drug and food Surveillance (Invima) approved the use of China's Sinovac vaccine in children aged six to 12 after analyzing data from other countries.

"The widespread use of the inactivated CoronaVac (Sinovac) vaccine against SARS-COV-2 among children aged 3-17 in China and 6-17 in Peru, among other countries, showed to have had no negative effects on the childrens' health... This allows the ward to believe that the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, based on analysis of the development of the pandemic and of the public health's needs, can start the vaccination (of children) from the age of six years old, with those in risk groups at high priority," the institute said in a statement on its website.

The statement noted, however, that despite the institute's permission to vaccinate children, it did not recommend modifying the vaccine's emergency use authorization, since the data on its effectiveness and safety in qualitative studies is still limited.

The Sinovac vaccine was authorized for emergency use by Invima on February 3.

The regulator stressed the need to commence local studies on the vaccine's efficacy and safety once it was distributed to the children in the now approved age group.

In September, Invima approved the use of the Moderna vaccine in teenagers aged 12-17. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is also approved for use in that age group.

Data from the ministry of health showed that 48% of the country's population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated and 69% received at least one dose of the vaccine. Since the start of the pandemic, the country logged nearly 5 million positive COVID-19 cases and around 127,000 deaths.