Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects children as young as 12 years old, and approval for use would make it a second option for that age group in the U.S.
The company released the preliminary findings Tuesday based on testing on more than 3,700 youths ages 12 to 17 in the United States.
We just announced that the Phase 2/3 study of our COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents has met its primary immunogenicity endpoint. In the study, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in participants who had received 2 doses of the vaccine: https://t.co/SHTokbDhKR pic.twitter.com/rqHEfmi9s9
— Moderna (@moderna_tx) May 25, 2021
There were no COVID-19 diagnoses in those given two doses of the Moderna vaccine compared with four cases among kids given dummy shots. In a press release, the company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says the vaccine appeared 93% effective two weeks after the first dose.
Moderna officials intend to submit its teen data to the Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month.
'We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
The company says its vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same mild, temporary side effects.
Earlier this month, the U.S. and Canada authorized a vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech for use, starting at age 12.
While children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19, they represent about 14% of the nation’s coronavirus cases.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun testing in even younger children, from age 11 down to 6-month-old babies. This testing is more complex and involves smaller doses that those given to adolescents and adults.
