Moderna Asks EU Approval For COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids Under 6

On Friday, Moderna asked the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve the emergency use of its vaccine for children from six months to six years old.

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This company, which made a similar request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday, tested its vaccine in clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and Canada.

These studies showed that two 25-micrograms provided an immune response for minors of this age similar to the two 100-micrograms doses applied for adults aged 18 to 25.

"We are happy to apply for these permits, whose approval we are sure will be very welcome by parents, children, and caregivers," Moderna Director Stephane Bancel stated, recalling that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) already supported the extension of the European license of the vaccine of the covid-19 of Modern to children of 6 to 11 years.

Although most children who contract coronavirus develop mild or no symptoms, health authorities warn that this population group is very active in spreading the virus in adults.

"Many countries have resisted immunizing minors because most coronaviruses vaccines for this population group were developed from those designed for adults,” Cuba’s Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV) Director Vicente Verez explained.

“In Cuba, we worked on designing specific vaccines for our children since the beginning of the pandemic and developed a massive campaign of pediatric vaccination, which reduced by ten times the incidence of the Omicron strain," Verez remarked.