Britain’s University of Oxford has been making significant strides in developing a COVID-19 Vaccine and much of this success is attributed to its rigorous testing and research regimen. It has now reached the juncture where the vaccine is being considered for children which means it will need to be first tested on children, as it was with adults.

This of course spawns a moral dilemma as the repercussions and potential negative physiological responses to the drug are unknown. However, most would argue it is a very necessary step in their efforts to make a vaccine accessible to the young.

In any case, on the 20th of this month, Britain’s University of Oxford is set to become the first COVID-19 vaccine developer to begin testing on children. The Vaccine which was developed with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will be tested using children and young adults aged between 6 and 17. According to the university, the developers will be assessing the “safety and immune responses” to the vaccine.

The University also added that the trial will include 300 volunteers and will take place in three English cities, London, Southampton and Bristol.

Professor Andrew Pollard, who is the chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial had also shed some light on the importance of the trial.

“While most children are relatively unaffected by coronavirus and are unlikely to become unwell with the infection, it is important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children may benefit from vaccination,”

he said.

This is also a very important step in realizing AstraZeneca ambition; which is to produce 3 billion doses of the vaccine this year. The pharmaceutical company had garnered the support of the masses when it formally announced a “no profit pledge” in its quest to put an end to the pandemic. Hopefully, the support will be instrumental in it having a successful trial this weekend.