The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial for children who are six months and older is officially underway. This has come as good news for parents who have been anxiously waiting for the vaccination for this age group.
Moderna COVID 19 Vaccine Trial Underway
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The clinical trial was led by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They enrolled 140 local kids who were between the ages of six months and 11 years.
The physicians began administering the injections in August to kids in this age group. The process was then for children aged two to five years, and then ages six months to those below the age of two.
The children involved in the clinical trial were either be receiving the two-dose Moderna vaccine or a placebo shot. While this one is still being conducted in St. Louis, there are more than 100 medical institutions running trials across US and Canada.
Purpose Of The Study
The goal of the study is to provide an effective and safe vaccine to protect the most vulnerable populations. It will further look at how well kids can tolerate the vaccine and their immune response to it.
Infectious disease expert, Carol Kao, who is overseeing the trials, stated that the development of safe vaccines for kids is important when it comes to controlling this pandemic and getting back to normal.
“Vaccines can save lives”
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Children were initially thought to be immune to the virus, but as Delta variant entered the picture, more children began to get hospitalised.
“We have learned that kids can get very sick from the virus, and they can transmit it to others. Vaccinating kids will, therefore, allow them to be protected like adults. This will also indirectly protect others in their homes and communities,” noted Carol.
“Simply put, vaccines save lives. I’ve recently treated some super-sick kids who suffered from major complications from COVID-19. So, we need vaccines to protect the lives of more children from getting sick,” said Jason Newland, MD, who is also a part of the trial said.
Read: What Are The Different Types Of Covid-19 Variants?
New Study Referred To As “Gold Standard”
The new study is being called the “gold standard” for clinical trials because it is placebo-controlled, double-blinded and randomized.
This means that kids were randomly selected to receive either the vaccine or a placebo.
In this case, neither the healthcare professional who is administering the vaccine nor the families know whether participants receive the vaccine or the placebo. The injection is given in the upper arm or thigh, and they are at 28 days apart.
Moderna doubled the study’s size to enroll up to 13,275 children from across the United States and Canada in August this year.
The FDA is further reviewing data from a recent clinical trial evaluating the Moderna vaccine in older adolescents.
Researchers can also evaluate the effectiveness by race
At the Washington University site, the non-white children comprise half of the participants in the study. This will thus allow the researchers to also look into the vaccine’s effectiveness by race.
The healthcare professionals are actively monitoring the children’s health and any potential reactions via telemedicine appointments and on-site visits. They have also advised the children and their parents to keep electronic diaries and record any possible symptoms.
There is excitement among St. Louis area parents for their children who got a chance to participate in the study.
Ashley Haden as quoted in Medical Xpress saying that she felt very happy when she got to know that her sons, Shepherd, aged 10, and Crew, who is 8, could participate in the Moderna vaccine trial.
“We are eager to play our small role in helping demonstrate the efficacy of the vaccine in younger kids,” said the elated mum.
Her family is further hopeful, that by seeing their successful participation in the study, all her friends and family will feel encouraged to get the vaccine.
Vaccination Status In Singapore
Even as the country’s vaccination rate exceeds 80 percent of its population, half a million children under the age of 12 years still remain unvaccinated.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has previously said that vaccines for children under 12 are expected to start early next year after all the trials are completed and the regulatory approvals are met.
Pfizer-BioNTech is likely to be the first vaccine for children, as their trials are expected to be completed first.
Note that, currently the Moderna vaccine is only authorised for use in adults who are aged 18 and above. The company had filed for emergency use authorisation for teens aged 12 to 17 from the FDA in June.
On the other hand, Singapore has approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids between the ages of 12 and 15 years in May this year.
Even after your kids are vaccinated, it is important to follow all the COVID safety protocols. Mask up, sanitise your hands, and avoid crowds!
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