A panel of US medical experts on Tuesday recommended the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged six through 17.
Formal authorization should soon follow, at which point families will have a second option against the coronavirus, as Pfizer's vaccine was given the greenlight for teens and younger children last year.
"This can be a valuable tool and having this available to families, particularly in areas where there's rising viral spread, and particularly parents of children who may have comorbidities," said Ofer Levy, an infectious disease physician at Boston Children's Hospital.Several thousand participants took part in the clinical trials, which showed the vaccines were safe and triggered a similar level of antibodies in younger age groups as it did in young adults.
The delay in authorizing Moderna for American children was a result of FDA concern that it caused rare cases of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, at a higher rate than Pfizer.