….. if children can be protected from COVID-19 with this new vaccine called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
Letter from David Halpin MB BS FRCS 15thFebruary 2021
Dear National Institute for Health Research and Oxford Vaccine Group Oxford secretariat, via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Several fellow doctors and myself have concerns about this trial on children aged 6 to 17 as described here: https://covid19vaccinetrial.web.ox.ac.uk/cov006-oxford and containing the quote in the header above.
Our concerns relate especially to what is called 'informed consent'. The described trial is just that - a trial, and any benefit yet to be proved, in an age group with a minuscule mortality rate in the UK.
One of our number wrote this - https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1679/rr-3
On this web site page read -
What are the disadvantages of taking part? The list of possible side effects is considerable and might cause suffering. Long term effects eg enhanced antibody response with challenge by the same or a similar antigen are yet to be revealed. Given that it is said that children most often do not know they have contracted the Covid_19 'organism', some parents would say the inclusion of their child in this trial was 'not worth it'. (Added – and what risk of anaphylactic shock? Skilled resuscitation on hand?)
I note that the study is funded by Astra Zeneca and NIHR. There is uncertainty as to whether this trial is taking place with the insertion of the yellow 'this site is not currently recruiting' twice.
What can one gather from this? If the trial team is not recruiting then one would expect the web page to be taken down.
Assuming this trial intends to recruit children, I ask to see what observations were made by the relevant ethics' committees, and their reasons for approval.
yours sincerely
David Halpin MB BS FRCS 01364 661
Copies to -
Public Health England This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
‘Corporate Services’(NHS Devon) CCG Devon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NHS England and NHS Improvement This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
