WASHINGTON — Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is effective in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company asserted in late March. If approved by the FDA, that smallest population could start receiving their shots by this summer.
That emergency use application would apply to two small-dose shots for those under the age of 6.
Dr. Ruth Kanthula is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at MedStar Health. She spoke with WUSA9 about the importance of finally getting this younger population vaccinated.
Why is it important for the youngest children to get a COVID vaccine?
"When I think about the vaccination of the younger group, my attention turns to the immunocompromised population. A lot of these children have been kept at home, essentially living in a bubble. Having the vaccine for them would be a good opportunity for them to return to school."
What does the dosage look like for this vaccine for younger kids?
"For the Moderna vaccine, the dosage is 25 micrograms, which is a quarter of what the adult dosage is. The adult dosage is 100 micrograms and what the studies have shown is that at 25 micrograms, children had the same immune response as adults, so that was reassuring data."
What advice do you have for parents who are still hesitant to get their children vaccinated?
"What I would say to those parents is we still don't know a lot about the post COVID complications such as long-haulers and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID. What we do know is that the vaccine in a way also protects against those things."
Will kids eventually need booster shots too?
"Moderna is actually looking at the need for boosters right now. They are looking at trials that focus on boosters for adults and children. In addition to the booster with the vaccine that was studied in the trial, they are also looking at boosters with a vaccine that would be specific to omicron."