Moderna has begun testing its mRNA coronavirus vaccine on children under the age of 12, the company announced Tuesday.

In a press release Tuesday afternoon, the pharmaceutical giant announced that it has begun trials with its mRNA-1273 vaccine on young children, ranging in age from six months to just under 12 years.

“We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the U.S. and Canada and we thank NIAID and BARDA for their collaboration,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.

“It is humbling to know that 17.8 million adults in the U.S. have received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to date. We are encouraged by the primary analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273 in adults ages 18 and above and this pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population.”

The study is expected to enroll a total of 6,750 children in the US and Canada, with two doses of the Moderna vaccine administered 28 days apart.

A vaccinated group will be compared to a placebo-controlled group to assess the vaccine’s effectiveness on children.

Source: Arutz Sheva