The Russian health ministry has registered a new vaccine for children aged 12-17. It’s called Sputnik M, according to the Interfax news agency.
According to the Russian health officials, a new vaccine Gam-COVID-M had been clinically tested and showed high efficacy. Based on those results the Ministry of Health has decided to officially register the vaccine as a medical facility for the prevention of COVID-19 infection among teenagers aged 12-17.
The vaccination campaign will cover only those children whose parents or other legitimate representatives agree to do so. Teenagers aged 15 and above should also give written permission to get vaccinated, the agency highlighted.
As Vice Prime Minister of Russia Tatyana Golikova said the vaccine may be available for people by the end of December.
On October 28, the press service of the Moscow city’s administration revealed results of the first stage of trial on teenagers. Two shots of the vaccine in the amount of 1/10 and 1/15 from a standard dose for adults have led to quite a good level of immunity, the officials said.
«The safety and immunogenicity level that the new medical facility has shown for teenagers is higher than those among adults,» the agency reported.
The next phase of the teenager vaccine Sputnik M trial started on November 11.
Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya research center, a key developer of the vaccine also confirmed that clinical trials showed a better antibody response to the Sputnik M vaccine among teenagers rather than how adults responded to the original Sputnik V vaccine. The immune system of children demonstrates a faster reaction to nonshared antigens, he explained. The only side effect of the vaccine that was reported is a slightly high temperature of 37.4 Celsius on the day after injection.
In Kazakhstan, the vaccination campaign among children and teenagers has already begun. Health workers use two shots of the Pfizer vaccine if there is no objection from teenagers and their parents.
