Moderna trial showing promise for expanding age requirement next month

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Moderna is one step closer to allowing more children to roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Their most recent clinical trial — involving more than 3,700 people — showed a 100 percent vaccine effectiveness in the group that was vaccinated. After the first dose, the vaccine was found to be 93 percent effective against infection.

Moderna officials said that their vaccine is “safe and highly effective” in 12 to 17 year olds.

Side effects mentioned in the trial were mild to moderate, with the most prominent being arm pain. Headaches, fatigue and muscle aches after the second dose were also reported.

If the Moderna vaccine is approved by the FDA, this would be the second vaccine made available for 12 to 17 year olds.

“This means that there’s really going to be more options for people in order to get the vaccine which will allow us to get back to normal activities sooner,” Robert Hawkes, Director of the Physician Assistant Program at Florida Gulf Coast University, said. “Ultimately if we can get close to that 75 to 80% to achieve herd immunity that’s really going to show that we’re well affected.”

Moderna officials plan on submitting their findings to the FDA in early June.

Hawkes said that he expects Moderna’s approval to be announced next month.

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