Coronavirus: Oxford Covid vaccine to be tested on children for first time

The University of Oxford will begin testing the coronavirus vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca on kids for the first time, a potentially key step in ending the global pandemic.

Oxford University has launched a study to assess the safety and immune response of the Covid-19 vaccine it has developed with AstraZeneca in children.

The new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective for people between the ages of 6 and 17, according to an emailed statement from the university.

Around 300 volunteers, aged 6 to 17, will be enrolled and first inoculations are expected this month, Oxford said.

The first vaccinations will take place this month, with as many as 240 kids receiving the coronavirus vaccine and the remainder a meningitis shot, which should produce similar side effects.

A larger trial involving thousands of children is expected to be conducted by Astra in the US later.

The phase II study will take place at three cities across the UK -- London, Southampton and Bristol -- and assess the safety and immune responses in children.

Investigators will test the shot on kids aged 12 to 17 first before moving to the younger age group, with initial data expected by summer, Andrew Pollard, lead investigator on the trial, said in a Bloomberg interview.

The study will look at two dosing regimens one month and three months apart, Pollard said.

While most children have limited or no symptoms from Covid-19 and rarely become seriously ill, little is known about how much they may transmit the virus. Vaccinating young people could be key to halting the spread of the virus, helping to keep schools open and stopping older relatives and people in the community from falling sick.

As of 4 February, around 2.93 million children in the US had tested positive for the coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been hailed as a 'vaccine for the world' because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some rivals.

AstraZeneca has a target to produce 3 billion doses this year and aims to produce over 200 million doses per month by April.