Children from 6 years old will be added to the COVID-19 vaccine study at the University of Oxford, making it the first time to investigate how children and young adults react to the shots aimed at stopping the spread of the deadly bug .
About 300 children, ages 6 to 17, will be included in the AstraZeneca vaccine study, Reuters reported.
Previous studies have shown the vaccine to be safe, but this study, funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, will reveal whether the injection causes a good immune response in children. As many as 240 children will receive the shot, the BBC reported, while the rest will be checked.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 267 children have died since the start of the pandemic – accounting for less than 1 percent of the total deaths.
The two-dose vaccine is intended for worldwide use because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some other injections.
AstraZeneca is also working with Oxford to adapt its vaccine for new strains of disease when the virus mutates. One study has suggested that the company’s vaccine does not protect against the South African strain of the coronavirus.