Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine protective, safe in young children

FILE PHOTO: Medical staff prepare Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to be administered at newly-opened mass vaccination centre in Tokyo, Japan, May 24, 2021. Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Moderna Inc said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response and was generally well-tolerated in children aged six to 11 years, citing interim data from a study.

The company said it planned to submit the data to U.S., European and other regulators soon.

Moderna said the data showed two 50 microgram doses of the vaccine, half the strength of the doses used in the vaccine given to adults, generated virus-neutralizing antibodies in children.

The majority of side effects were mild or moderate in severity, the company said. The most common solicited adverse events were fatigue, headache, fever and injection site pain.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)