Moderna, one of the leading names in the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing, has announced its interim results for its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 6 on Wednesday. Moderna is now planning on seeking approval from the FDA and other global health regulators.
Currently in the United States, no COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for children younger than the age of 5. Pfizer postponed its authorization application last month, stating that it would wait for more data in April.
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Moderna’s recent tests showed that younger children developed high levels of the antibodies required to fight against COVID-19 from doses with just 1/4 of the standard adult dosage. However, the vaccine was less effective against the omicron variant, which has been sweeping across the world as of late. However, Moderna said that the efficacy of the vaccine against omicron was consistent with the vaccine currently approved for adults over the age of 18. The vaccine for children between 6 months and 2 years old was around 44% effective at preventing omicron infections. For children between the ages of 2 and 5 years, the vaccines were 38% effective against omicron.
Moderna is also seeking approval for a vaccine for children between the ages of 6 and 11 in the United States (approval has been given in Europe and Canada). During tests, they were given two 50 microgram doses.
The vaccine manufacturer has confirmed that there were no new concerns regarding safety for children under 6. There were no recorded cases of myocarditis, pericarditis, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Myocarditis has been observed in mostly younger men from the second dose of both Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines. Reported side effects were mild or moderate, with most occurring after the second dose.
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Zainah Yousef is a writer for The DZSH Group. She is also the author of “The Fallen Age Saga.” Her areas of focus are on psychology, politics, public security, and war. She is also a frequent contributor in articles on video games and entertainment news.
Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
