The two-dose vaccine given at four-week intervals is recommended based on a study on 3,732 participants. COVID-19 vaccine Moderna might become the second shot okayed for adolescent use in the European Union after regulators recommend them for 12 to 17 years old.
For people above 18, the use of Spikevax vaccine will be the same in adolescents. The European Medicines Agency said adding the shot can produce a comparable antibody response to that seen in 18-25 years old. It has been considered important to vaccinate children for reaching herd immunity in light of the highly contagious Delta Variant. In May, Moderna claimed that their vaccines are safe and very effective in teenagers.
Even though Covid-19 has developed mild symptoms or none in most children, they remain at risk of becoming seriously ill and can spread the virus. In May, Pfizer and German partner BioNTech approved their vaccine for teens. The regulators said teens will face common side effects as seen in older people after vaccination. The Committee of Medical Products for Human Use confirmed the overall safety profile of Spikevax in the adolescent study and outweigh the risk factors in children aged 12-17. Heart inflammation such as myocarditis and pericarditis have been listed as a possibility but a very rare side effect from the use of mRNA vaccines such as Moderna’s and Pfizer’s in adults.
