Moderna reported encouraging results of its COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to six years old, and is now seeking FDA authorization
Moderna Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is Effective For Children As Young as 6 Months Oldoderna announced today that its COVID-19 vaccine produces “robust” levels of antibodies among children six months to six years old similar to thoseThe results are part of the company’s KidCOVE study and will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization in this youngest, and last group of children to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, Moderna said in a statement.
In the study, nearly 7,000 children six months to six years old were randomly assigned to receive two doses of Moderna’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, or two doses of placebo. The dosage for this age group is one-quarter of that. Children vaccinated with the shot produced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at similar levels to those that adults made after being vaccinated at higher doses, likely reflecting children’s more active and efficient immune systems. Those antibodies led to an efficacy of 43.
Currently, Moderna’s vaccine is only approved for those over 18 years old, while Pfizer-BioNTech’s is approved for adults and has emergency use authorization for. But these results could put Moderna ahead of Pfizer-BioNTech in receiving authorization to distribute its vaccine to younger children.
Children under six are the last group to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and ensuring the shots for them are both safe and effective is critical as the