WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Those under the age of 18 are not currently eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine according to the FDA. But that could be changing — in part because of a new trial that is set to begin at UMass Medical School.
Researchers are looking to enroll teenagers and children between the ages of 12 and 17 in a clinical trial that will judge whether Camrbidge-based Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine is effective in younger populations.
The vaccine has already been authorized for use in adults 18 and older by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but this trial is the first of it's kind to test the mRNA shot on adolescents.
Doctors say for the most part, children react differently than adults do to vaccines. Researchers are looking to figure out what the ramifications are with distributing the shot to younger people, whether it is safe for those groups and if the same immune responses will be present.
Researchers expect to enroll 3,000 young people at around 15 sites across the country. Enrollment is projected to start at the UMass Medical School in early February.
If you want to learn more about enrollment in the trial, you can visit the TeenCove program website here.
The study will be conducted at the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Clinical Research Center, located in the Ambulatory Care Center on campus.
Researchers say they are trying to enroll young participants from several different communities, including communities of color that have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19.
WBZ’s John Baibak (@JohnBaibak) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Getty Images)