¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾

Bringing The World Home To You

© 2025 ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøÕ¾ North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

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
/
Getty Images
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 . 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 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 to include adolescents 12 to 15 years of age.

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

Tags
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.
More Stories