Oxford University to assess safety, immune responses of Covid-19 vaccine in children

The remainder will receive a control meningitis vaccine, which has been shown to be safe in children but is expected to produce similar reactions, such as a sore arm.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound negative impact on the education, social development and emotional well-being of children and adolescents, beyond illness and rare severe disease presentations," said Rinn Song, Paediatrician and Clinician-Scientist, Oxford Vaccine Group.

"It is therefore important to collect data on the safety and the immune response to our coronavirus vaccine in these age groups, so that they could potentially benefit from inclusion in vaccination programs in the near future."

The trial is funded by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, developed jointly with the University of Oxford, has been approved for emergency use in several countries. A version of the vaccine is also being used in India.

While the vaccine remains effective against the original virus and at least one variant, first discovered in Kent, England, preliminary findings in a small-scale trial prompted South Africa to limit its use while it ascertains its efficacy against the variant that emerged there.

AstraZeneca had said it could take between six to nine months to produce Covid-19 vaccines that are effective against new variants of the virus.