U.S. CDC advisers weigh the Modern COVID vaccine for teens and older children

The Modern COVID-19 vaccine is on the table of the United Church of Christ of the Trinity in Chicago, Illinois, USA, February 13, 2021. REUTERS / Kamil Krzaczynski

June 23 (Reuters) – Advisors from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) meet Thursday to decide on the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc. (MRNA.O) for children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years, after months of delay in this age group due to safety concerns.

In the event that they vote to recommend its use, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must sign that the U.S. government begin implementing the Modern Vaccine for these children and adolescents.

The Pfizer (PFE.N) -BioNTech (22UAy.DE) vaccine, based on a similar messenger RNA technology, has been available for teens for more than a year and for children ages 5 to 11 ‘October.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration delayed in November a decision on Moderna’s vaccination in the age group that is now being considered out of concern that it could cause heart inflammation, especially in younger men, in higher rates than the Pfizer vaccine.

The FDA authorized the Moderna vaccine last week for the 6 to 11 age group, along with the authorization for use in children 5 years of age or younger. Read more

The agency said last week that the latest U.S. data showed that while there was a numerically higher risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with the Moderna vaccine, the findings were not statistically significant, meaning which could be due to chance. Read more

Nearly 60% of children and adolescents in the United States between the ages of 12 and 17 have been fully vaccinated to date, while the proportion of children vaccinated between the ages of 5 and 11 has been significantly lower, at nearly 30%.

Report by Manas Mishra and Leroy Leo in Bangalore, and Michael Erman in New Jersey; Edited by Bill Berkrot

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