Breaking news! After several months of offering the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible adults, and exactly one year after the first adult received a test dose of the shot (which was created at the National Institutes of Health), Moderna has started to offer a trial of the vaccine to children.

The drug company will be undergoing two studies—one that will test the vaccine in around 6,750 healthy children 12 and younger—as young as six months old—in the United States and Canada. In the other, Moderna will be testing its vaccine in 3,000 children ages 12 to 17 to ensure it’s safe for this age group as well.

While many young children don’t become as ill as the older population if contracting COVID-19, they can still spread the virus onto higher-risk individuals, so it’s important for them to have the chance the get vaccinated as well—safely, of course.

“There’s a huge demand to find out about vaccinating kids and what it does,” said Dr. David Wohl, the medical director of the vaccine clinic at the University of North Carolina.

In the study involving children as young as six months, the participants will all receive two shots about 28 days apart. In the first part of the study, children above two but under 12 will receive two doses of 50 or 100 micrograms each. Children under 2 may receive two shots of 25, 50 or 100 micrograms. After careful monitoring, this research will indicate which dose is safest and most effective depending on age of the child.

As far as long-term effects, the children will be followed for a year after the study to monitor any potential side effects as well as measure antibody levels.

To hear first hand more details about this study involving children, including where and when the trial will roll out, check out the video below!

What are your thoughts regarding children receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? What do you hope to see as a result of this study?