The trial of the coronavirus vaccine tipped to be the ‘front runner’ in the fight against COVID-19 has been extended to include children and older adults, raising hopes the jab could soon be ready for the public.
The first phase of the trial at the University of Oxford began in April, and included 1,000 adult volunteers. Now, more than 10,000 volunteers - including over 70s and 5-12-year-olds - will be enrolled in the second phase of the trial.
Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, said: "We have had a lot of interest already from people over the age of 55 years who were not eligible to take part in the phase-one study. "And we will now be able to include older age groups to continue the vaccine assessment. "W