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Children’s vaccine trials to begin

A study is to launch into whether the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine can offer protection to children and young adults.

The trial will assess if children and young adults aged six to 17 make a good immune response with the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine.

A total 300 children and young people will take part in the LCRN-supported trial in Oxford, London, Southampton and Bristol.

Those aged under 16 must have consent from their parent or guardian to take part.

The vaccine - produced with AstraZeneca - is among licensed vaccines being rolled out across the NHS.

Chief Investigator Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity, said: “While most children are relatively unaffected by coronavirus and are unlikely to become unwell with the infection, it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination. These new trials will extend our understanding of control of SARS-CoV2 to younger age groups.”

Read more on the University of Oxford website.