COVID-19 vaccine testing underway for children

Posted on January 21, 2021
OSF Pharmacist Ryan Wolf prepares COVID-19 vaccines in McLean County. (Photo courtesy McLean County Health Department)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues worldwide for adults, vaccine testing is now underway to be administered in children.

Currently, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine is authorized for those 16 and older. However, Dr. Peter Marks of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that could soon change.

“There are already vaccine trials that are getting ready to go in older children, that is, 12 to 15-year-olds. We’ll need to see safety data and evidence of immune response in children as we work our way down.”

Dr. Marks said the FDA is focused first on older children to ensure correct doses since children’s immune systems are still developing.

“We will definitely want to see that the vaccines are safe, and we’ll want to see the immune response that is generated.”

According to CNBC, Moderna has already begun COVID-19 vaccine testing on children as young as 12. Moderna expects to complete the study in September.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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