Moderna Seeks Green Light For Vaccinating Toddlers And Young Children
BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Moderna hopes to get the green light from the Food and Drug Administration "in the coming weeks" to give the youngest population a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharmaceutical company plans to request authorization for a two-dose, 25 microgram-each shot to children who are at least six months old to those who are just under six years old.
For perspective, Moderna explained that is 25% of the first two doses adults would receive and added that the vaccine provides the same level of protection against COVID-19 in young kids as it does in adults.
"This is the first good news for families who have kids under the age of five in a long time in this pandemic," Dr. Scott Krugman, vice chair in the Department of Pediatrics at Sinai Hospital Baltimore, said.
According to Moderna, the study was conducted during the Omicron surge in the United States. The results showed the vaccine efficacy in children six months to two years old was 43.7%, while vaccine efficacy for children two years old to under six years old was 37.5%.
"If the data holds, and the CDC advisory committee views it and makes a recommendation, then we might be able to start vaccinating young kids in the next month or so hopefully," Krugman said.
The pharmaceutical company said the majority of the cases were mild.
Data from the Maryland Department of Health shows seven children in the state are currently hospitalized. Five of them are in intensive care.
