Sign up here to receive our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and reviews.
The University of Oxford will begin testing the Covid-19 vaccine developed with AstraZeneca Plc in children, a potentially important step in ending the global pandemic.
The Oxford study plans to enroll 300 children aged 6 to 17, the university said in a statement on Saturday. The first vaccinations will take place this month, with up to 240 children receiving the coronavirus vaccine and the remainder a meningitis vaccine, which is expected to produce similar side effects. A larger study involving thousands of children is expected to be conducted by Astra in the United States later.
The phase II study will be conducted in Oxford and three UK cities – London, Southampton and Bristol – and will assess the safety and immune responses in children. Researchers will test the shot on children aged 12 to 17 years old before moving to the younger age group, with the initial data expected for the summer, Andrew Pollard, the lead investigator for the trial, said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The study will look at two dosing regimens one month and three months apart, said Pollard.
Child proofs began in earnest at the end of last year, after the safety and efficacy of pioneering vaccines were established in adults. Pfizer Inc., which has an approved vaccine for people aged Aged 16 or older, he completed enrollment for the 12-15 year old test last month, with more than 2,000 children tested. Moderna Inc. is also testing its chance on teenagers and Johnson & Johnson is expected to begin testing with children soon.
We plan to run tests on children from the start “to ensure that we have the greatest opportunity for access at all ages” to the vaccine, said Pollard. “I am absolutely delighted that today we are launching pediatric tests after this long road we have traveled.”
Although most children have limited or no symptoms of Covid-19 and rarely become seriously ill, little is known about how much they can transmit the virus. Vaccination of young people can be the key to curbing the spread of the virus, helping to keep schools open and preventing older relatives and people in the community from becoming ill.
As of February 4, about 2.93 million children in the United States have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
(Add Oxford as a test site in the third paragraph)