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

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

The University of Oxford has launched a study to assess the safety and immune response of the Covid-19 vaccine it has developed with AstraZeneca Plc in children for the first time, it said on Saturday.

A syringe with the Oxford�AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is seen at the newly opened vaccination centre in the area of the 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 new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective on people between the ages of 6 and 17, according to an emailed statement from the university.

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

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.