AstraZeneca vaccine: Dr Green shares what's in Oxford jab
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
“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.
Those aged between 16 to 17 years old were able to consent to their own participation in this study.
Participants involved in the trial were required to have “no significant medical history”.
Out of the 300 participants, 240 will be vaccinated with the candidate vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, whereas 60 will be vaccinated with a placebo.
“Participants will be blinded to what group they are in,” the researchers pointed out.
This means the youngsters will be unaware if they received the real or placebo Covid vaccine.
Young participants will also undergo blood tests, but the skin will be numbed with an anaesthetic cream to make this experience as comfortable as possible.
However, parents need to be aware that there may be side effects the children might experience after having the jab.
The researchers noted “very common” side effects, which are to be expected in more than one in 10 participants, which includes:
- Tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling or bruising where the injection is given
- Generally feeling unwell
- Feeling tired (fatigue)
- Chills or feeling feverish
- Headache
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Joint pain or muscle ache.
DON’T MISS:
GMB viewers slam ‘ridiculous’ Disney Princess debate
Susanna Reid slaps down minister Ford in compulsory student vax row
Alex Beresford jibes Boris Johnson after crime crackdown announced
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.
Source: Read Full Article