(Reuters) – Oxford University 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.
The new mid-stage trial will determine whether the vaccine is effective in people ages 6 to 17, according to a statement emailed by the university.
There will be about 300 volunteers enrolled and the first vaccines are expected this month, Oxford said.
The two-dose Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine has been considered a “vaccine for the world” because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some rivals.
AstraZeneca aims to produce 3 billion doses this year and aims to produce more than 200 million doses a month in April.
Report by Derek Francis in Bengaluru, edited by Rosalba O’Brien