Children in Bristol to receive Covid vaccine in world-first trial

Children in Bristol will be among the first in the world to receive the coronavirus vaccine as part of a new trial.

The Oxford Vaccine study is partnering with Bristol Children's Hospital, as well as St George's University Hospital in London, University Hospital Southampton, to test the immune response the jab has in younger people.

The trial is open to children between the ages of six and 17, and aims to assess if they can be immunised with a new vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.

300 participants are being recruited across the four sites, with 240 receiving the Oxford vaccine and the other 60 will be given a control meningitis jab.

There are no current plans to begin vaccinating children with the traditional Oxford jab, as it has been focused on immunising those over the age of 18.

Earlier this week England's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, told ITV News several trials were under way to develop vaccines that were safe and effective in children, saying it was possible there would be some licensed children's vaccines by the end of the year.

Oxford University says this is the first trial of a Covid vaccine in the six to 17 age group, with other trials only measuring efficacy in those aged 16 and 17.

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