Moderna is now seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6 years old.
On Wednesday, representatives from Moderna said its study of its two 25-microgram dosage vaccines for children as young as 6-months-old, provides a similar immune response as its vaccine for adults, which is four times as strong.
“So it’s one more layer, right? So we don’t have this option for young children. We don’t have the ability to keep them using masks all the time. [So] we have the vaccine,” said Dr. Flor Munoz of Baylor College of Medicine.
Munoz is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Baylor, where a pediatric vaccine study has been underway for the last year.
“The effectiveness of being able to protect against infections that were shared is relatively low. So, it’s in the 40-30%, depending on the age group under five with two doses,” said Munoz.
Munoz said Moderna’s announcement is great progress in protecting the youngest of children against COVID. She said she would like to see boosters for all age groups since the virus is not going away anytime soon.
“For the children under five, it’s really nice to have the data with two doses. But I think that it’s very clear that the studies need to be done to achieve full protection against Omicron with three doses meaning, a booster given at some point,” she added.
Rachel Elliott is a mother of two who couldn’t be more thrilled her son Lucas, who turns three in July, may soon have a vaccine for his age group.
“I’m really, really excited,” Elliott said. “My son’s kind of the last one in our family that hasn’t been vaccinated yet cause he’s too young so, we’re thrilled. It’s exciting news.”
Additionally, KPRC 2 spoke to a mother of five who said she’s not against all vaccines but she has no plans to roll up her 2-year-old son’s sleeves anytime soon.
“He’s vaccinated against certain things. Not against others. But as far as COVID goes, I just don’t think, especially for the little ones, it’s something that the vaccine, that the risks outweigh the benefit of it,” she said.
She added that neither she nor her husband are vaccinated but her two adult children decided to get their shots. She said her family wears their masks and practices other safety precautions.
Mother of three, Tabitha Stewart, said she’s still on the fence.
“I’m fully vaccinated and definitely think that vaccines can be the way to prevent severe COVID illness,” Stewart said. “So, I think I would be very interested in that but would want to know if it’s truly effective and there’s not a lot of risk to it.”
Munoz said COVID cases in children may have plateaued, but they’re not gone. She encourages parents to make informed decisions about vaccinating their children.
“It is a gamble, and I encourage parents not to take that chance,” Munoz said.
Moderna said it is seeking FDA approval in several weeks.