BREAKING: Moderna says its lower-dose COVID-19 vaccine works in babies and young children. If regulators agree, it could mean vaccinations for the littlest kids by summer.
Vaccinating the littlest “has been somewhat of a moving target over the last couple of months,” Dr. Bill Muller of Northwestern University, an investigator in Moderna’s pediatric studies, said in an interview before the company released its findings. “There’s still, I think, a lingering urgency to try to get that done as soon as possible.”
Moderna said the small doses were safe, and the main side effects were mild fevers like those associated with other commonly used pediatric vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines in general don’t prevent infection with the omicron mutant as well as they fended off earlier variants -- but they do still offer strong protection against severe illness.Moderna reported that same trend in the trial of children under 6, conducted during the omicron surge. While there were no severe illnesses, the vaccine proved just under 44% effective at preventing any infection in babies up to age 2, and nearly 38% effective in the preschoolers.
The company said Wednesday that, armed with additional evidence, it is updating its FDA application for teen shots and requesting a green light for 6- to 11-year-olds, too.