Moderna starts COVID19 vaccine trial on children below 12 years age

New Delhi : U.S. vaccine producer Moderna has started trials of the Covid-19 vaccine on children below 12 years, including 6 months. The company said that the objective is to include 6 thousand 750 healthy children from the US and Canada. Previously, it has conducted human trials of the vaccine on 12–17-year-old children, but has not announced the results.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement that “We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the U.S. and Canada. This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population.”

“Fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, but they can be infected and can spread the virus. Most infected children have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,” said U.S. health authorities.

School officials across the U.S. are under pressure to fully reopen as soon as possible, but many say they need portable classrooms or shorter school days to meet social distancing rules.

According to Moderna, 17.8 million adults in the U.S. have received its vaccine. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have all been authorised for emergency use. The companies are set to deliver more than enough to cover the entire U.S. adult population by mid-year.