Children up to the age of 6 will be added to the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine study, which is the first time we will examine how children and young adults respond to traits designed to slow the spread of the deadly mistake.
Approximately 300 children ages 6 to 17 will be included in the AstraZeneca vaccine study, Reuters reported.
Previous trials have shown that the vaccine is safe, but this trial, funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, will show whether the shot produces a good immune response in children. Up to 240 children will receive the puncture, the BBC reported, while the rest get a control shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 267 children have died since the start of the pandemic, accounting for less than 1% of all deaths.
The two-dose vaccine can be used worldwide because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of the other shots.
AstraZeneca is also working with Oxford to adapt its vaccine to new disease strains as the virus mutates. One study has suggested the company’s vaccine does not protect against the South African strain of the coronavirus.