published or peer-reviewed.
Moderna said it plans to submit the data to the FDA in the coming weeks.
RELATED: Pfizer Vaccine Much Less Potent in Kids Aged 5-11
Pfizer also seeking approval
Moderna is not the only vaccine maker seeking emergency approval for kids this young: In December, Pfizer announced that in 2- to 4-year-olds, a two-dose regimen did not trigger an immune response that matched the one seen in young adults.
In response, Pfizer added a third shot to the trial. However, in January the FDA suggested that approving two doses of the Pfizer vaccine could allow children to start building immunity as officials waited for data on a third dose. Shortly after that, the agency said no decision would be made until results on a third dose were complete.
There are about 19 million children younger than 5 in the United States, and they are the last age group that’s not eligible for a vaccine, according to the Washington Post.
While young children have emerged largely unscathed from the pandemic, a recent CDC study found that hospitalization rates in this age group soared during the Omicron surge last winter, reaching a level that was five times the rate as during the peak of the Delta surge.
It was also difficult to predict which young children would end up in the hospital, because nearly two-thirds of those who wound up there had no underlying medical conditions.
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