The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, has started screening of children aged 6-12 years, for the clinical trials of India's first indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Sources said the recruitment and clinical trials of single-dose Covaxin among those aged between 2 and 18 years started at AIIMS Delhi on June 7 after India's drug regulator granted permission for conducting the Phase II and III clinical trials of Covaxin for the age group 2 to 18 years on May 12. AIIMS Patna and Mysore Medical College and Research Institute in Karnatka have also been selected to conduct clinical trials on children. Covaxin is being used on in India's ongoing Covid vaccinating drive since January 16 this year. The government last week cautioned that even though Covid-19 had not taken a serious shape among children till now, its impact could increase among them if there is a change in virus behaviour or epidemiology dynamics, and said strengthened to deal with such situation. "A national expert group has been formed to review Covid infections among children and approach the pandemic in a renewed way to strengthen the nation's preparedness, NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul had said at a present. Over a week after construction activity got the go-ahead PWD, officials said that while the number of workers had started to increase, they were still short of hands to complete projects in time. Private construction firms were also struggling to get all their labourers back to the capital. Shyam Prasad, a construction workers, said that he came back only after his employer insisted and promised him a higher salary. "We were a total of 30 people who used to work at a site but towards the commencement of work again there were just five of them.
