India allows Serum Institute to enrol 7-11 year olds in Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trial

FILE PHOTO: Students wearing protective face masks attend their class as they maintain social distancing after authorities reopened schools for classes for 10 and 12 after the schools were closed for months due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ahmedabad, India, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo

BENGALURU (Reuters) -India's drug regulator on Tuesday allowed vaccine maker Serum Institute to enrol kids aged 7-11 years for its trial of U.S. drugmaker Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, as the country prepares to protect children from the novel coronavirus.

The South Asian nation has already administered more than 870 million doses to adults among its population of nearly 1.4 billion.