Brazil drug regulator allows CoronaVac for kids aged 6–17
Brazil’s national drug regulator Anvisa on Thursday (Jan. 20) approved the administration of CoronaVac shots in children and adolescents aged six through 17, except for the immunosuppressed. The decision was made by the directors’ board during an extraordinary meeting.
Children and adolescents with comorbidities will also be allowed to receive the two-dose inoculation, with a 28-day interval. The vaccine is the same as the one used in the immunization of adults, with no adaptation made for children.
The decision was unanimous. In all, five directors voted for the authorization: Meiruze Sousa Freitas, Alex Machado Campos, Rômison Rodrigues Mota, Cristiane Rose Jourdan, and Anvisa’s Director-President himself, Antônio Barra Torres.
On social media, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga talked about the approval of the emergency use of CoronaVac for 6–17-year-olds. “All vaccines authorized by Anvisa are considered for the national vaccination plan against COVID-19. We are waiting for the full decision and its publication in the Official Gazette,” he wrote on Twitter.
Butantan
In a note, Butantan Institute, which manufactures CoronaVac in partnership with Chinese Sinovac, reported that the authorization was issued after the assessment of a request submitted to Anvisa on December 15, based on safety studies on immunological response from countries as Chile, China, South Africa, Thailand, and Brazil.
“CoronaVac is scientifically proved as the safest vaccine and the one with the fewest adverse effects, in addition to being the most commonly used vaccine across the world, with over 211 million doses administered in children and youths (3–18 years of age) in China alone,” the statement read. “Butantan Institute, which has worked for the benefit of life for 120 years, is ready to be part of yet another battle to defeat the COVID-19 virus in the country,” the note concludes saying.
