The Ethics of Vaccine Trials

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Children can't provide consent. Their parents guardians must provide that informed consent. Children above a certain age must provide assent, meaning you have to get their by in. And the age, i think, varies on jurisdiction. I spoke with an investigator who's working on the fi byintec trial,. She's going to try and get assent from children as young as five, or even younger. They know about the pandemic. That's why they're out of school, you knowso they're interested," she said.

As COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs continue, attentions are turning to one group: children. While research suggests that children rarely develop severe forms of COVID-19, scientists still believe they could play a key role in transmission and a plan needs to be in place for the longer term. But clinical trials in children are more complicated than those in adults as different ethical and practical concerns need to be taken into account.

In this episode of Coronapod, we discuss the ongoing clinical trials to test vaccines in young children, and ask what scientists want to know about safety, and how effective these vaccines might be at preventing disease and transmission.

News: COVID vaccines and kids: five questions as trials begin

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