Vaccine research is expanding. This is good news for children, pregnant women and women over the age of 65.

However, these first trials explicitly excluded children and pregnant or lactating women for several reasons. In some cases, people over the age of 65 may be undervalued. Some governments have delayed or have not yet issued approval for use among people in less-studied categories.

It can change quickly. Vaccine research is expanding as pharmaceutical companies promote broader and permanent approval by regulators.

Here’s how some of the major demographic studies are expanding:

Scientists know that children are less likely to develop severe cases of covid-19. This is part of the reason why vaccines under the age of 16 or 18 have not yet been tested and approved, depending on the vaccine. Children also require specific dose sizes and have not been studied in the same trials as adults.

But on Tuesday, children aged 6 months to 12 years Receive a shot In a test conducted by US biotechnology company Moderna. Approximately 6,750 children will participate in this study. Elderly groups are tested first, then researchers move to participants under the age of six.

Moderna, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech have already begun trials in a 12-year-old adolescent, with British and Swedish pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and partner Oxford University starting last month. I am studying vaccines for children over 6 years old. US healthcare companies Johnson & Johnson said they are planning two trials to study minors.

Last week Israel reported that Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine research was involved 600 adolescents Between 12 and 16, no adverse effects have been seen so far.

Still, the trial will take several months to complete.Robert Frenck, Principal Investigator of Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Trial at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Told the Washigton Post Last month, younger children in the United States may have to wait another year before moving on. Scientists need to decide how to match shots to an established early childhood vaccination schedule.

When the coronavirus vaccine was first available, many governments did not recommend vaccination of people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or who may become pregnant soon.Regulators said they did not yet have sufficient data due to these demographics Excluded from exam Because the risk is high.

It is common to exclude pregnant women from clinical trials — some public health experts require researchers to: rethink That approach. And as scientists learned more about vaccines and viruses, official guidance began to change.

Regulators in many countries exclude lactating women and target pregnant people for vaccination, but often recommend medical consultations first. In Israel, authorities are urging pregnant women to be vaccinated following a surge in hospitalizations and pregnancy complications due to highly infectious viral variants.

Last month, Pfizer-BioNTech announced the start of a global study of vaccines in approximately 4,000 healthy pregnant women over the age of 18.

“Pregnant women are at increased risk of developing complications and severe covid-19, so it is important to develop a safe and effective vaccine for this population,” said the clinical research and development of the vaccine. William Gruber, Senior Vice President in charge, said. Pfizer statement at the time.

Scientists want to not only answer safety questions, but also clarify whether vaccinated pregnant women can inherit immunity to the foetation. A small study of 10 lactating women vaccinated in Israel found that Breast milk contained coronavirus antibodies.. On Thursday, US researchers reported the first known cases of childbirth in a vaccinated mother in the country. Baby with coronavirus antibody..

December 30th, UK First country to approve Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. A few days later, health care workers began giving shots to older people like Brian Pinker, 82, who was first vaccinated.

However, as other countries have begun to license the vaccine, many have licensed it for people over the age of 65 without clearing it. After reviewing data from the AstraZeneca trial, regulators in some countries concluded that there was insufficient representation of the elderly. For example, in Indonesia, the government approved the vaccine, partly because he said that only people under the age of 59 were eligible. The president made a cut, but the vice president did not.

However, in the weeks that followed, many countries changed their guidelines. On Tuesday, Canada was the latest to allow people over the age of 65 to use the vaccine, overturning previous recommendations. Regulators did not have to start a new trial to fill the gap. Rather, data collected in the United Kingdom, where vaccines are widely used, was available.

“Currently, there is real-world evidence from the United Kingdom. [which] The Canadian Immunization Advisory Committee has given AstraZeneca vaccine to people over the age of 65 in a statement. ” “This evidence demonstrates the high safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the elderly.”

France and Germany concluded the same before the Asta Zeneca deployment hit a major hurdle. A wave of countries where the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was stopped after a few abnormal and deadly blood clots were recently reported among newly vaccinated people (many of which resumed quickly). ). While European healthcare regulators consider vaccines to be “safe and effective,” they have not ruled out possible causal relationships, but there is no evidence of this.who Said on wednesday Nevertheless, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was considered safe to use. The United States has not yet approved the emergency use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Currently, some countries impose policies that represent near-complete exchanges. AstraZeneca vaccines are for the elderly, but not for the young.On Friday, the French Health Advisory Committee issued new guidelines, saying that people under the age of 55 should be. Oxford-Don’t get a shot of AstraZeneca, About concerns about blood clots. Some German states are pursuing similar policies.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, will receive the first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.