Moderna Begins Testing COVID Vaccine On Children As Young As 6 Months Old

Moderna has begun testing the safety and efficacy of its coronavirus vaccine in children who are at least six-months-old and less than 12-years-old. The study is a joint effort with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The drug company said it plans to enroll 6,750 volunteers who will receive two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart.

The study will be broken down into two parts. In the first part of the trial, children over the age of two will receive either a 50 microgram dose or a 100 microgram dose, which is the same dose that adults are given. Children who are under two-years-old will receive a dose of either 25, 50, or 100 micrograms.

Researchers will analyze those results to determine which dosage is the safest. In the second stage of the study, they will use that data to determine which dose the children will receive. The children will be monitored for one year as doctors check their antibody levels and see if they develop and side effects from getting vaccinated.

Moderna has already started testing its vaccine in children between the ages of 12 and 18. The company expects to have the results from the trial this summer.

Moderna's COVID vaccine is one of three that have been granted emergency use authorization in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration.

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