Moderna begins the final phase of testing its anticovid vaccine with children

• Modern pharmaceutical company began the final phase of testing its anticovid vaccine with children
• Moderna began to inoculate children between 6 months and 11 years of age in order to demonstrate the response in younger people
• So far, the US does not have any vaccine licensed to be administered to children under 18 years of age.

Covid vaccine for children. The modern pharmaceutical company announced on Tuesday that it began the tests of the last phases to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of its vaccine against covid-19 in children under 11 years of age in the United States and Canada. The company, which has already received emergency authorization to vaccinate those over 18 years of age, has begun to inoculate children between 6 months and 11 years of age in order to demonstrate the response in younger people.

The tests will be carried out with the help of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 6,750 children in two phases: one to determine the best dose and the last in which the serum will be administered in two doses to a random sample, while another part will receive a placebo, reported the Efe news agency.

Moderna begins final testing phase of its coronavirus vaccine in children

«This pediatric study will help us evaluate the potential safety and immunogenicity of our covid vaccine candidate in children, such an important population,» Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement. Due to the speed with which vaccines have been developed and the disease affects older people more severely, the United States does not have a vaccine licensed to be administered to children under 18 years of age (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) or under 16 (Pfizer / BioNTech).

Since the end of last year, the Pfizer and Moderna laboratories have been conducting clinical trials of the vaccine among people over 12 years of age, with a sufficient level of volunteers and waiting to present results to the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A covid vaccine in children would improve the immunity of the general population

The steps taken to ensure the efficacy of the covid vaccine in children are essential both to reduce the chances of serious cases of the new coronavirus among minors and to improve the immunity of the general population by denying the virus transmission capacity.

The US authorities have suggested that if the results of the vaccine trials in minors are positive, high school students could begin to be inoculated this fall, while those of lower grades could be vaccinated early next year.

When can children receive COVID vaccines?

It depends on the age of the child, but some teens may be able to roll up their sleeves in no time. The Pfizer vaccine is already licensed for use from the age of 16. That means some high school students could line up for those shots as long as they are eligible in their area, either for a medical condition or once they become available, depending on AP.

Pfizer and Moderna have completed enrollment for studies of children 12 years and older and hope to release the data over the summer. If regulators clarify the results, younger teens could also start getting vaccinated once the supply allows. Currently, the Moderna vaccine is licensed for people over 18 years of age and is in the final phase of covid vaccines for younger children.

How do we know if COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

Scientists look for safety concerns during the testing phase and continue to monitor them as shots are fired around the world. So far, the only serious warning that has come up is a rare risk of serious allergic reactions, he reported. AP. Different types of COVID-19 vaccines have been licensed and their potential side effects will be different for each, although there is more public data on vaccines being rolled out in Western countries than elsewhere.

Countries also vary in their vaccine standards, with some allowing the use of injections before end-stage tests that involve large numbers of volunteers. But in the US, Britain and the European Union, regulators required that any vaccine be tested on tens of thousands of people before distribution.

How would vaccine manufacturers adapt to the variants?

When adjusting your vaccines, a process that should be easier than creating the original vaccines. Viruses constantly mutate as they spread, and most changes are not significant. First-generation COVID-19 vaccines appear to be working against current variants, but manufacturers are already taking steps to update their prescriptions if health authorities decide it is necessary.

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are made with new technology that is easy to upgrade. So-called mRNA vaccines use a piece of genetic code for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, so your immune system can learn to recognize and fight the real virus.

Can I take pain relievers before or after getting vaccinated?

They are best avoided, unless you are taking them routinely for a medical condition. Although the evidence is limited, some pain relievers could interfere with what the vaccine tries to do: generate a strong immune system response, he noted. AP.

Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking it has a virus and building a defense against it. That can cause arm pain, fever, headache, muscle aches, or other temporary symptoms of inflammation that can be part of that reaction. «These symptom they mean your immune system is ramping up and the vaccine is working, ”said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a recent news conference.

Can coronavirus vaccines be mixed and matched?

Health officials say both doses should be of the same vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in the United States, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world so far require two injections a few weeks apart, he reported. The Associated Press.

In the US, where the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are distributed, health officials say the vaccines are not interchangeable. In England, where Pfizer and AstraZeneca injections are available, officials also say that dosages should be consistent.

What about the AstraZeneca vaccine?

Caution has led a good number of countries in different parts of the world to suspend the vaccination of their nationals with the preparation of the AstraZeneca company after several cases of thrombosis among people who had been inoculated. Greece, Belgium and Thailand are among the few States that have chosen to maintain the vaccination against covid-19 with the vials of the AstraZeneca company while the European Medicines Agency (EMA) does not recommend its suspension, reported the Efe agency.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will report this Tuesday on the ongoing investigation of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the reported cases of thromboembolism, in a press conference called at the last minute by its executive director, Emer Cooke, despite not an update was expected until Thursday.

Coronavirus vaccine reduces virus transmission, study finds

A preliminary study from the University of Glasgow published last week suggests that coronavirus vaccines help reduce transmission of the virus to close contacts of the immunized person. The work, which has been carried out using data on the workforce of the Scottish public health system, where the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are administered, suggests that infections were reduced by at least 30% among cohabitants of those workers after the first dose.

The authors of the study, which has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, emphasize that the observed partners could be infected through other contacts, so their results probably underestimate the effect of the vaccine in preventing infections, reported Efe.

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