Moderna says its low-dose COVID shot works for kids 6 to 11

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Moderna said Monday that a debased dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is harmless and appears to enactment successful 6- to 11-year-olds, arsenic the shaper joins its rival Pfizer successful moving toward expanding shots to children.

Pfizer's kid-size vaccine doses are person to wide use. They are undergoing valuation by the Food and Drug Administration for youngsters successful astir the aforesaid property group, 5 to 11, and could beryllium disposable by aboriginal November. The company's vaccine already is authorized for anyone 12 oregon older.

Moderna hasn't yet gotten the go-ahead to connection its vaccine to teens but is studying little doses successful younger children portion it waits.

Researchers tested 2 shots for the 6- to 11-year-olds, fixed a period apart, that each contained fractional the dose fixed to adults. Preliminary results showed vaccinated children developed virus-fighting antibodies akin to levels that young adults nutrient aft full-strength shots, Moderna said successful a quality release.

The survey progressive 4,753 children ages 6 to 11 who got either the vaccine oregon dummy shots. Moderna said that similar adults, the vaccinated youngsters had impermanent broadside effects including fatigue, headache, fever and injection tract pain.

The survey was excessively tiny to spot immoderate highly uncommon broadside effects, specified arsenic bosom inflammation that sometimes occurs aft either the Moderna oregon Pfizer vaccines, mostly among young men.

Moderna released nary further details and hasn't submitted its information to a technological diary but said it plans to stock the interim results with the FDA and planetary regulators soon. The survey is inactive going on, and the institution cannot cipher the vaccine's effectiveness successful really preventing infections successful children unless determination are capable COVID-19 cases to comparison rates betwixt vaccinated and unvaccinated participants.

The FDA hasn’t yet ruled connected the company’s exertion to grow its vaccinations to 12- to 17-year-olds, though immoderate countries person cleared Moderna’s shots for adolescents.

But the U.S. is expected to statesman vaccinating children nether 12 sometime adjacent month, if the FDA clears debased doses of the Pfizer vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. Pfizer reported past week that its kid-size doses proved astir 91% effectual astatine preventing symptomatic COVID-19 successful that property group, adjacent arsenic the extra-contagious delta variant was spreading widely.

FDA's advisers volition measurement Pfizer's grounds successful a nationalist gathering Tuesday. If the bureau authorizes Pfizer's kid shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the pursuing week is acceptable to urge who should person them.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely liable for each content.

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