A clinical trial of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech on children and adolescents suggests two doses of the vaccine are safe and generate a strong antibody response, according to a study published Monday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

Chinese researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled phase 1/2 clinical trial of the CoronaVac vaccine in more than 500 healthy children and adolescents aged three to 17 years in China. A phase 1/2 trial is a controlled clinical trial that combines phases 1 and 2 into a single protocol.

The results indicates that more than 96 percent of children and adolescents who received two doses of the vaccine developed antibodies against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), according to the study.

Most adverse reactions were mild or moderate, with pain at the injection site, the most commonly reported symptom, said the study.

But the researchers also said that owing to the small number of participants in the study, the results should be interpreted with caution as it was not possible to draw strong statistical conclusions.

(With input from Xinhua)