Moderna Claims Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe For Children Aged 6-11 Years

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - Manufacturer Moderna claims its COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response and is generally well received in children aged 6-11 years. Moderna also plans to submit the data to drug regulators soon.

According to Moderna, its two-dose vaccine produces virus-neutralizing antibodies in children and its safety is comparable to that seen previously in adult and adolescent clinical trials.

25, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel will vote on Tuesday to determine the fate of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5-11 years.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is licensed for use in adults 18 years of age and older and recently obtained clearance for a third dose in a number of Americans.

However, the FDA has not approved the vaccine for use in people aged 12-17 years.

Swedish authorities have stopped using the Moderna vaccine in younger age groups after reporting cases of heart inflammation among young adults.

Moderna said most side effects were mild or moderate in the trial, which involved 4,753 participants. The most common symptoms are fatigue, headache, fever and pain at the injection site.

The vaccine used in the trial was a dose of 50 micrograms, half of the dose used in adults. Doses of 50 micrograms are also allowed to be used as a booster vaccine (booster).