Jan 20, 2021 - Health

Vaccine trials for children could produce data by summer

Caitlin Owens

Illustration of syringes forming a health plus/cross — Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Ongoing trials may produce data by this summer to indicate whether the vaccines are safe for children, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: Children generally aren't at risk of serious coronavirus infections, but vaccinating them will be key to protecting the adults around them and, eventually, reaching herd immunity.

Details: Pfizer and Moderna began recruiting participants for their clinical trials late last year.

The University of Oxford, which developed a vaccine with AstraZeneca, is planning to begin tests in 12-to-18-year-olds next month, and Johnson & Johnson will likely begin trials shortly after receiving results from its adult studies.
Clinical trials for children generally begin with teenagers and then work their way down to younger ages.

What we're watching: The sooner children have a vaccine, the sooner schools and child care can go back to normal, which will greatly ease the burden on millions of parents.

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Vaccine trials for children could produce data by summer

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