Kolkata: About 50% volunteers covid Vaccine Clinical Trials for Children at the Institute of Child Health (I) Kolkata was recently deemed ineligible for the study.
Cause: They already had COVID antibodies, indicating that they were infected with the COVID virus at some point, but remained asymptomatic or survived with mild symptoms. However, this exercise was not a sero survey, but a chance detection during mandatory screening of potential participants before enrolling for a vaccine trial.
Health experts say such figures give hope against the possibility of a third wave where children are likely to be the most vulnerable.
The institute at Park Circus, which is one of the oldest referral hospitals for children in India, has been set up as a site for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Zydus Cadila’s Zykov-D vaccine on children aged 12 to 18 years. was chosen as. As part of the pan-India study, the Kolkata Institute had set a target to enroll 100 volunteers.
“About 50% of the children brought for vaccine testing tested positive for COVID antibodies. This means that these children were unknowingly infected with the virus and developed natural immunity. So, we had to keep him out of the trial,” said the trial’s co-investigator, ICH Professor Jaideep Choudhary.
Potential volunteers of the vaccine trial undergo a series of screenings, including a test for antibodies, before being enrolled for the program.
Earlier this week, the ICMR also came out with its sero-positivity report, which found that 57.2% of children aged 6 to 9 years had antibodies against SARS-CoV2. The antibody prevalence was more than 61.6% for children between the ages of 10 and 17.
“Earlier, we had found antibodies in some children who came to the hospital with suspected MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) or unresolved fever of unknown origin. On testing, he was found to have COVID-19 antibodies. So, we already had the impression of a good number of children with antibodies. Now, the ICH data along with the ICMR survey report brings a ray of hope,” said Prabhas Prasoon Giri, Associate Professor, ICH.
The fear of children being the worst affected during a possible third wave arose mainly because they are yet to be vaccinated, although a section of health experts such as IPGMER Hepatology chief Abhijit Choudhary and RBSK (National Child Health Programme) National Advisor, Neonatologist Arun Singh. They have been emphasizing that there is no scientific basis or evidence for this apprehension.
“Children have been exposed to the same virus as adults. It’s just that their immature immune system doesn’t mount that kind of resistance to the virus as adults. This is the reason why despite being infected they mostly remain asymptomatic, showing no symptoms of infection,” Choudhury said.
Cause: They already had COVID antibodies, indicating that they were infected with the COVID virus at some point, but remained asymptomatic or survived with mild symptoms. However, this exercise was not a sero survey, but a chance detection during mandatory screening of potential participants before enrolling for a vaccine trial.
Health experts say such figures give hope against the possibility of a third wave where children are likely to be the most vulnerable.
The institute at Park Circus, which is one of the oldest referral hospitals for children in India, has been set up as a site for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Zydus Cadila’s Zykov-D vaccine on children aged 12 to 18 years. was chosen as. As part of the pan-India study, the Kolkata Institute had set a target to enroll 100 volunteers.
“About 50% of the children brought for vaccine testing tested positive for COVID antibodies. This means that these children were unknowingly infected with the virus and developed natural immunity. So, we had to keep him out of the trial,” said the trial’s co-investigator, ICH Professor Jaideep Choudhary.
Potential volunteers of the vaccine trial undergo a series of screenings, including a test for antibodies, before being enrolled for the program.
Earlier this week, the ICMR also came out with its sero-positivity report, which found that 57.2% of children aged 6 to 9 years had antibodies against SARS-CoV2. The antibody prevalence was more than 61.6% for children between the ages of 10 and 17.
“Earlier, we had found antibodies in some children who came to the hospital with suspected MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) or unresolved fever of unknown origin. On testing, he was found to have COVID-19 antibodies. So, we already had the impression of a good number of children with antibodies. Now, the ICH data along with the ICMR survey report brings a ray of hope,” said Prabhas Prasoon Giri, Associate Professor, ICH.
The fear of children being the worst affected during a possible third wave arose mainly because they are yet to be vaccinated, although a section of health experts such as IPGMER Hepatology chief Abhijit Choudhary and RBSK (National Child Health Programme) National Advisor, Neonatologist Arun Singh. They have been emphasizing that there is no scientific basis or evidence for this apprehension.
“Children have been exposed to the same virus as adults. It’s just that their immature immune system doesn’t mount that kind of resistance to the virus as adults. This is the reason why despite being infected they mostly remain asymptomatic, showing no symptoms of infection,” Choudhury said.
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