Moderna Coronavirus vaccine proves safe and effective in children and adolescents

Moderna revealed, today, Tuesday, that the Corona vaccine from Moderna has proven effective in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, and no new safety problems have emerged, according to Reuters.

Moderna added that its vaccine has been licensed for adults 18 years of age and older, and that it will submit the results of its adolescent study to the FDA and other regulators for emergency use permission in early June.

And it took regulators in the United States about a month to review a similar study from Pfizer / BioNtech, which was approved for ages 12 to 15 on May 10.

Most children infected with Coronavirus only have mild symptoms or no symptoms, yet children are still at risk of serious illnesses, and they can spread the virus, and widespread vaccination for children between the ages of 12 and 18 can allow American schools and summer camps to reduce Mask-wearing procedures and social distancing suggested by the CDC.

"We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 has been very effective in preventing Corona in adolescents," said Stephan Bansel, CEO of Moderna.

And Reuters added, Moderna's trial evaluated the vaccine in 3,732 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years, a third of whom received the vaccine and a third of them received a placebo, the main goal was to produce an immune response on par with that seen in the company's large trial, Phase 3 on Adults, which was 94.1% effective in preventing corona.

And after two weeks of the second dose, the researchers did not find any cases of Corona virus in the vaccine group compared to 4 cases in the placebo group, which led to the effectiveness of the vaccine by 100%.

The researchers found no new safety problems, and the most common side effects after the second dose were headache, fatigue, body aches, and chills.

The company said it is still collecting safety data, and all study participants will be monitored for 12 months after the second dose to determine long-term protection and safety. The company is currently testing its vaccine on children as young as 6 months old.