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Moderna says new data supports its COVID vaccine for kids 6 to 11

A nurse draw a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose from a vial at the Cameron Grove Community Center in Bowie, Md., in late March. Moderna says study data supports use of a half-dose of the vaccine in children 6 to 11.
Win McNamee
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A nurse draw a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine dose from a vial at the Cameron Grove Community Center in Bowie, Md., in late March. Moderna says study data supports use of a half-dose of the vaccine in children 6 to 11.

Moderna says a study in kids 6 to 11 found two doses of the company's COVID-19 vaccine given 28 days apart produced a strong antibody response.

The study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, used shots containing a 50 microgram dose of the vaccine, half the dose of the Moderna shots authorized for adults. More than 4,700 children ages 5 to 11 took part in the study.

The most common side effects were fatigue, headache, fever and pain at the site of injection. The company says the analysis showed a "favorable safety profile."

The summary of the study results was made available in a press release. The information hasn't been peer reviewed or published, but Moderna said it plans to submit them to a scientific journal for publication.

The company also said it plans to submit the data to regulators, a move that would support the authorization of the vaccine for kids 6 to 11.

The release of the data comes a day before a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will review use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age.

In June, Moderna submitted study results involving nearly 2,500 adolescents ages 12 to 15 to the FDA. The agency hasn't yet issued a decision on whether to expand use of the Moderna vaccine to that age group.

In May, the FDA expanded authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years of age.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Hensley edits stories about health, biomedical research and pharmaceuticals for NPR's Science desk. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has led the desk's reporting on the development of vaccines against the coronavirus.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

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