Drugmaker Moderna has started clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine on children under the age of twelve, with some as young as six months old, in the hopes of building an early immunity to the virus, NPR reports.
The company plans to have around 6,750 children from the United States and Canada in the trial, in which participants will receive doses from 25 micrograms to 100 micrograms, while others will receive a saline placebo. The max dosage, 100 micrograms, is the approved dosage for an adult in the United States.
Participants will receive two injections 28 days apart, and the company will use telemedicine to monitor patients, with two calls scheduled after each inoculation. Moderna has already started a trial on teens. Pfizer, the other two-shot vaccine approved in the US, plans on studying the vaccine on children age 12 to 15, with more than 2,200 participants already enrolled.