Oxford University is expanding the COVID-19 vaccine study to children, some as young as 6 years old

Oxford University is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine research to children – some as young as 6 years old.

Together with three partner sites in London, Southampton and Bristol, Oxford will launch the first study to learn how children and young adults (ages 6 to 17) respond to the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine.

Previous trials of the vaccine have shown it to be safe, but this phase 2 study – funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and AstraZeneca – will reveal whether children have a good immune response to the injection.

Oxford said in a press release that 300 volunteers will be enrolled in the study – 240 of them will receive the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and the remainder will receive a control vaccine for meningitis, “which has been shown to be safe in children, but is expected. cause similar reactions, such as a sore arm. “

Although most children are relatively unaffected by the coronavirus and are unlikely to become unwell from the infection, it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and adolescents as some children may benefit from vaccination Andrew Pollard, a professor of pediatric infection and immunity, and the lead investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial, said. “These new studies will expand our understanding of SARS-CoV2 control to younger age groups.”

The news comes as school districts across the country are fighting to reopen schools over the risks associated with the virus.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on the education, social development and emotional well-being of children and adolescents, in addition to disease and rare serious disease presentations. It is therefore important to collect data on safety and immune response to our coronavirus vaccine in these age groups, so they may benefit from inclusion in vaccination programs in the near future, ‘said Rinn Song, a pediatrician and clinician-scientist for the Oxford Vaccine Group.

Grace Li, a pediatric clinical investigator for the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the trial will play an important role in protecting children from the virus.

The trial will begin Saturday, according to Oxford’s statement, and the first shots are expected to be fired sometime this month.