Our jab works in kids as young as 12: Moderna
WASHINGTON: Moderna said Tuesday that its Covid-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group in the United States.
With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world is struggling to vaccinate adults in the quest to end the pandemic. But earlier this month, the US and Canada authorised another vaccine, the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech, to be used starting at age 12.
Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the US Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month. The company said it studied more than 3,700 12 to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults.
There were no Covid-19 diagnoses in those given two doses of the Moderna vaccine compared with four cases among kids given dummy shots.
The company also said the vaccine appeared 93% effective two weeks after the first dose.
US intelligence studying Wuhan infection reports US intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first infections of Covid-19 were reported, according to American government sources who cautioned that there is still no proof that the disease originated at the laboratory.
Hong Kong could soon bin millions of vaccines Hong Kong may have to trash millions of Covid-19 vaccines because they are approaching their expiry date and not enough people have signed up for vaccination, an official has warned. Distrust of the government and online misinformation has led to rising vaccine hesitancy and a dismal inoculation drive.