´óÏó´«Ã½

It has been more than a year since the UK first went into lockdown and everyone was ordered to stay at home to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Since then a number of vaccines have been developed to help protect people from the virus. Vaccines work by preparing a person's immune system so it can identify and fight against a particular disease if they're exposed to it.

Nearly half of the UK adult population has had a jab - more than 24 million people. Around 1.6 million people have also had a second dose.

You've been sending in loads of questions, so Ricky put them to Dr Elisabetta Groppelli who is a virologist and global health expert at St George's University of London.

Zara wanted to know if children will get the vaccine and Dr Groppelli said: "Viruses don't know what age you are and so it's absolutely important that the vaccines also protect everybody."

Dr Groppelli added that trials are happening with children but, they are waiting on more data from kids aged six to 12 years old.

"Maybe before the start of the next school year, there will be a vaccination for children," she said.

Children will benefit from others having the jab because of something called herd immunity.

Eliza asked Dr Groppelli if the UK will share its vaccines with other countries.

Dr Groppelli said the UK has been "quite good" because the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been designed and manufactured in the UK. She told Newsround that it has shared the "recipe and manufacturing conditions with India".

This means India can produce lots more doses and some of those doses are going all around the world.

Dr Groppelli said: "This knowledge sharing is absolutely crucial."

The UK is also donating money to a central pot that is used to buy vaccines for countries which might not be able to afford them.