Emory, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launch COVID-19 vaccine trial for young children

ATLANTA — Physicians from Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta are launching a clinical trial testing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 6 months to 11 years old.

Children are expected to begin enrolling in the trial at the Emory Children’s Center soon.

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Moderna’s vaccine is currently approved for anyone 16 years and older.

This new initial phase of the KidCOVE study will test different doses of the vaccine to evaluate safety in a younger population.

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The study is being conducted by the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

“This is a critical step for children which could make it possible for them to receive the same type of immune protection now provided to adults,” says Evan Anderson, MD, attending physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory and the study site principal investigator for the trial.

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This isn’t the first time that children in metro Atlanta have been used to test the Moderna vaccine. Last month, Channel 2 Action News spoke to children who were enrolled in the trial for kids aged 12 to 17.

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“The main reason I wanted to do it was to have the potential to be protected against COVID, but also to help others and allow others to be vaccinated by my efforts,” said Joshua Markwood, who participated in the trial.

The new trial will be separated into two parts:

• In part one, all participants receive two doses of the vaccine. The objective is to evaluate and determine the best dose for each age group. An interim analysis will be conducted to assess safety and determine which dose will be used moving forward.
• Part two of the study will further evaluate safety and immune responses, measuring how well two doses of the vaccine work. It is placebo-controlled.

Children who have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine are not eligible for the trial.

If you’re interested in enrolling your child into this program, CLICK HERE.

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Cox Media Group