Testing on kids is a nervous next step on the way to a COVID-19 vaccine

There are many questions surrounding children’s role in the coronavirus pandemic but one thing is clear: they’ll need a vaccine, just like adults.

That means injecting dozens of kids with an experimental product — a prospect that makes many parents nervous. The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC plan to start testing their jab in 5- to 12-year-olds as schools and nurseries reopen in the U.K.

Children appear to be less affected by COVID-19, though their role in transmission of the virus remains unclear. A vaccine would protect them and ensure they don’t infect others who are more at risk, like teachers or grandparents. But the pandemic has struck at a time of growing defiance against mass immunizations.