On March 15, Moderna began enrolling 6,750 children from 6 months to 12 years of age in a study of its mRNA-1273 vaccine (NCT04796896). The study in children launched eight months after the launch of the pivotal Phase III study in adults (NCT04470427). Pfizer started enrollment of their mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2, last April (NCT04368728). As of today (March 21, 2021), Pfizer has not registered a study of the BNT162b2 in young children. The third EUA-approved vaccine in the United States, Johnson & Johnson's Ad26.COV2.S, began enrollment in September (NCT04505722). Johnson & Johnson has not registered a study of their vaccine in children.
Why are children always last?
Most children are only mildly symptomatic from SARS-CoV-2 (Sci Rep 2021;11:5760). However, some children get very ill, particularly if they develop multisystem inflammatory disease (MIS-C) (BMJ 2021;372:n385). The CDC summarizes the evidence succinctly. “Most children with COVID-19 have mild...
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Reasons
Absolutely.
But children, vis-a-vie, COVID, are NOT more vulnerable than the elderly. This is true of most, but not all diseases. "Always" is not the correct term. Never is.
RESPONSE FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As Dr. Christian notes, children are at very low risk of death and mortality from COVID-19. There were no deaths among children less than 10 years of age in the first few months of the initial COVID-19 pandemic. My intent was more general: We must always prioritize our most vulnerable patients in our medical decision-making.
I also appreciate Dr. Christian's wordplay: "Always is not the correct term. Never is." "Never," of course, is the opposite extreme of "always." The same rules apply to both. Nice!