As parents look ahead to the fall and what the availability of vaccines will be for those under 16, Moderna says Phase 2/3 trials of their COVID-19 vaccine show it is 96% effective in kids 12 to 17.
The two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine currently has FDA emergency use authorization for those 18 and older.
They say the most common side effect the teens in the study reported was injection site pain, and that there were “no serious safety concerns” and it was “generally well tolerated” by the participants.
The study included more than 3,200 adolescents.
Earlier this year, Pfizer announced their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective in adolescents age 12 to 15. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for those 16 and older already by the FDA.
Emergency use authorization for the expanded age range for the Pfizer vaccine is expected any day now.
Moderna released the latest on their adolescent vaccine study, as well as other trials they are running, in aquarterly financial update.
Including a clinical trial on a single dose booster shot that appears, based on initial data, to target two of the main variants spreading globally.
The pharmaceutical company hopes to increase production to provide up to 1 billion vaccine doses this year and provide up to 3 billion doses globally in 2022.