Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be tested on children in the UK

A new trial is set to take place in the UK to test how well the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine works in children.

BBC reports that some 300 volunteers will take part in this trial, with the first vaccinations taking place later this month.

Researchers will now assess whether the jab produces a strong immune response in children aged between 6 and 17.

The vaccine is one of two being used to protect against serious illness and death from COVID-19 in the UK, along with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

As many as 240 children will receive the vaccine and volunteers who live near one of the four study sites; the University of Oxford, St George's University Hospital in London, University Hospital Southampton and Bristol Royal Hospital for Children are being asked to sign up.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 108 million people worldwide have the virus while more than 2.8 million people have died.

[Source: BBC]