PGI to hire staff for Covovax trials on children

Naina Mishra

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here is all set to recruit staff for conducting research trial of Covovax, a Covid-19 vaccine, for paediatric population.

The study is aimed at checking the safety and immune response of Covovax in children, aged two to 17.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the safety of Covovax with regard to placebo, and its immunogenicity in children in the age groups of 12-17 years and 2-11 years in comparison to adult participants (in the reactogenicity and immunogenicity cohort from Covovax group) separately.

Reactogenicity refers to a subset of reactions that occur soon after the vaccination and the immunogenicity of the vaccine is the antibody response provoked in the human body after administering the vaccine.

A total of 920 eligible children will be enrolled in this study across 24 centres in the country. Of these, 460 participants will be in the age group of 12 to 17 years and another 460 in the 2 to 11 years age group.

Dr Jagat Ram, Director, PGI, said, “The trial will begin soon after ethical clearance

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