In a fundamental step to end the coronavirus pandemic, children as young as 6 years old will be tested with the Vaccine for covid-19. The University of Oxford has launched a new study to assess the safety of its vaccine with AstraZeneca in children for the first time.
In a new statement, the university says the trial will assess the immune response in children aged 6 to 17, an age group affected Difficult for the closure of schools due to the pandemic. About 300 volunteers are enrolled and are expected to receive their first vaccines this month.
In the double-blind, randomized study, up to 240 participants will receive the COVID vaccine, while the control group will receive the meningitis vaccine, which is safe for children and produces a similar reaction.
“Although most children are not relatively affected by the coronavirus and are unlikely to get sick from the infection, it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people, as some children can benefit from vaccination,” said Andrew Pollard, the principal investigator of the trials. “These new tests will extend our understanding of SARS-CoV2 control to younger age groups.”
A series of vaccines, including the formulas Oxford / AstraZeneca and Pfizer and Moderna, widely used worldwide, have demonstrated strong efficacy in preventing symptomatic infections. New data from Oxford earlier this month also offered the first evidence that his vaccine can not only prevent people from getting sick with COVID-19, but can help to substantially reduce its spread in the community.
The United Kingdom approved the emergency use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in late December. Vaccine approval has been widely celebrated as it is cheaper to produce and easier to transport and store than other approved vaccines.
Researchers hope that extending the vaccine to children will help alleviate some of the negative impacts of the pandemic on young people around the world.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on the education, social development and emotional well-being of children and adolescents, as well as rare diseases and presentations of serious illnesses,” said Rinn Song of the Oxford Vaccine Group. “Therefore, it is important to collect data on the safety and immune response to our coronavirus vaccine in these age groups, so that they can benefit from inclusion in vaccination programs in the near future.”
Clinical trials are also in progress in the USA, from vaccine developers Pfizer and Moderna to test the safety and efficacy of doses in children. Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month that he expects American children to be vaccinated “by the time we reach the end of spring and early summer.”