Bengaluru: Sudhakar says State needs 3 cr doses to vaccinate children

Bengaluru: After Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Covaxin for emergency use in children in the age group of 2 to 18 years, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said that this is a big relief to parents who are eagerly waiting to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19.

"I will discuss with Union Health Minister and senior officials its production and supply. It is a matter of pride that another Indian company Zydus is developing the world's first DNA based vaccine," he said.

It is estimated that there are about 1.5 crore kids in the age group of 2-18 years in Karnataka. "So we need about 3 crore doses to vaccinate kids in our state," said the minister.

"I had the opportunity to meet Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech last week who was also in Delhi to receive the India Today Award. I was happy to know that Bharat Biotech's nasal vaccine is in its final stage of development and it can further speed up our vaccination drive as it doesn't need trained healthcare personnel to administer the vaccine," he explained.

A nation can move forward only through innovation and research. Universities should prioritise and encourage research activities, said Sudhakar. "There are many medical colleges, but we must focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Oxford discovered the vaccine for Covid-19. Our universities should also focus on research and development. There are many students who wish to become doctors but there are only a few who want to take up research. There is a need to change this situation," said Sudhakar.