Moderna Seeks Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Under Six

On March 23, Moderna announced that it will seek emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than six years of age. Moderna’s announcement comes after the completion of its clinical trial, in which it found that volunteers aged six months to six years had a similar immune response to young adults when given a dose one-fourth as strong. The vaccine proved 44% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in ages six months to two years and 37% effective in ages two years to five years.

The next steps will be for the FDA to decide whether to approve Moderna’s vaccine for use in children under six. Based on the FDA’s decision, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will then also make a recommendation. That process is expected to unfold in the next few weeks.