“Immunising children is likely to be an important step in gaining control of the pandemic in the UK,” said the researchers from the University of Oxford, which will help to protect vulnerable adults, such as teachers and carers. “This study will give us valuable information on safety aspects of the vaccine and its ability to generate good immune responses against the virus in this age group,” the study’s organisers said. Parents were allowed to volunteer their children for the experiment if they lived near one of the four centres in:
- Oxford
- St George’s University Hospital, London
- Southampton
- Bristol.
Other “common” side effects of the vaccine might include:
- A lump at the injection site
- Fever
- Being sick (vomiting)
- Flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature, sore throat, runny nose, cough and chills.
Although “uncommon”, there is a risk that the youngster might experience:
- Dizziness
- Decreased appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
While the disadvantages of taking part in the experiment is clear, so are the advantages.
The researchers noted: “Knowledge gained from this study will help us develop a vaccine against the newly emerging coronavirus disease COVID-19.”
In addition, the results could “support the approval of this vaccine for use in children in the future”.
Moreover, the participants and their carers/parents might benefit from protection against Covid after taking part in this trial.
This is because the vaccine has been shown to have 60-90 percent efficacy against infection in adults.
Participants would be reimbursed £10 for each study visit, to cover travel costs incurred while participating in the study.
The recruitment for this study is now closed, which suggests that the 300 youngsters have signed up to take part in the study.
Express.co.uk have contacted the press office for the study’s organisers to find out when the results will be released.
Covid vaccine updates
The Government reported that 46,733,115 people now have had the first dose of the Covid jab.
In addition, 37,782,252 people are now fully vaccinated, meaning they’ve had both jabs.