JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now being tested on children under 12, the drug makers said.
Pfizer is already testing its vaccine on over 2,000 children between the ages of 12 and 15. The pharmaceutical company said the data from those studies has been promising enough to expand testing to a younger age group.
At least two children have already received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as part of the new clinical trial.
To start, the company plans to enroll 114 children ages 5 to 11. Eventually, the plan is to test a total of 4,500 children.
Like trials for adults, the children enrolled in the trial will receive their shots in two doses 21 days apart. The difference will be the amount of the vaccine contained in the children’s dosage.
Earlier this month, Moderna announced it had begun testing its vaccine in children ages 6 months to 12 years.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson said it would test its vaccine in older children first before expanding to younger ages.
While AstraZeneca’s vaccine has not been approved for use in the U.S. yet, the company started testing the vaccine in children ages 6 and older last month.