Oxford University to monitor children's Covid-19 vaccine response for the 1st time

Reuters, BERLIN

According to an emailed statement from the university, the latest mid-stage study will determine if the vaccine is safe for people between the ages of 6 and 17.

The research was launched by the University of Oxford to evaluate the protection and immune response of the Covid-19 vaccine that it first produced with AstraZeneca Plc in children, it said on Saturday.

According to an emailed statement from the university, the latest mid-stage study will determine if the vaccine is safe for people between the ages of 6 and 17.

A syringe with the Oxford�AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is seen at the newly opened vaccination center in the area of Terminal C in the former Berlin Tegel Airport, in Berlin, on February 10, 2021. - Mainly nursing staff and medical personnel will be vaccinated against the coronavirus here. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld / POOL / AFP)(AFP)

The Oxford jab, along with those from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, is one of three to have been licensed for use in adults in the UK. However, it has been found to be less efficient at supplying certain strains of coronavirus with immunity.

Around 300 volunteers will be enrolled and this month, Oxford said, initial inoculations are expected.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca two-dose vaccine has been praised as a 'world vaccine' because it is cheaper and easier to administer than other competitors.

The goal of AstraZeneca is to manufacture 3 billion doses this year and it aims to generate more than 200 million doses per month by April.

Additional Source - Oxford University to test Covid-19 vaccine response among children for 1st time