Vaccine maker Moderna announced last week that a clinical trial showed their COVID-19 shot is safe and effective for children under age 6, and according to the Associated Press, the pharma company is set to ask health authorities in the United States and Europe to approve a small-dose vaccination for the youngest children to be immunized before the summer.
Moderna’s vaccine appeared to meet the main criteria of success that regulators are looking for in a clinical trial, and showed the shot generates immune defenses, despite the mixed picture due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, The Washington Post reported.
“Using the Phase 3 COVE study COVID-19 definition, vaccine efficacy in children 6 months to 2 years was 43.7% and vaccine efficacy was 37.5% in the 2 to under 6 years age group,” Moderna’s announcement said. “The majority of cases were mild, and no severe COVID-19 disease was observed in either age group.”
“What I will say is 37.5% and 43.7% are higher than zero,” Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s senior vice president of infectious diseases was quoted by The New York Times. “If I were the parent of a young child, I would want there to be some protection on board, especially if we see another wave of infections.”
You can read the full Moderna report here.
