NJ Kids 5+ Could Soon Get COVID Vaccine

NEW JERSEY — With Moderna reporting positive results from its most recent round of COVID-19 vaccine trials for children ages 6 to 11, a vaccine may be available for that age group in November, according to officials.

New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said last week that as soon as the vaccine is available for children, the state plans to make it as widely available as possible.

On Monday, Moderna said it saw positive interim data from its Phase 2/3 KidCOVE study. The trial analyzed the vaccine in 4,753 participants who were 6 to less than 12 years of age, and found the body produced a robust immune response after 2 doses, with a “favorable safety profile.”

The company said it plans to submit its findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other global regulators soon.

The FDA is set to review Pfizer’s request for emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 12 on Tuesday.

If approved, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC’s This Week that the COVID-19 vaccine would likely become available for children ages 5 to 12 in the first two weeks of November.

The FDA said late last week that Pfizer’s vaccine appears to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school-aged children, according to The Associated Press.

Pfizer already has a COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12-and-up. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have only been authorized for use by adults ages 18-and-up.

The Pfizer vaccine is already available for ages 12-and-up in New Jersey.

Once approved, Persichilli said the COVID-19 vaccine for children will be distributed to a number of locations, including:

• Pediatricians' offices
• Primary care offices
• Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Several mega sites
• Large county sites
• Retail-owned and independent-owned pharmacies
• School clinics.

See related: Where You Can Get A COVID Vaccine For Kids: More Details Released

In the Moderna study, two 50-microgram doses of the vaccine were given to children 28 days apart. The doses are smaller than the 100-microgram doses adults receive.

The study’s findings were consistent with those found in the Phase 3 study for adolescents and adults, the company said.

“The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity,” Moderna officials said in the statement. “The most common solicited adverse events were fatigue, headache, fever, and injection site pain.”

An independent safety monitoring committee will continue to monitor the study, with participants being monitored over the next year to assess their long-term safety and protection, Moderna said. The Phase 2/3 portion of the study continues for children ages 6 months to under 6 years old.

As of Monday morning, more than 12 million total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in New Jersey, with more than 6 million having been fully vaccinated, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.

As of last week, about 57 percent of children ages 12 to 17 had been vaccinated, and Persichilli said she’d like to see that number increase.

New Jersey's plan follows the Biden administration's announcement last week of its vaccine rollout plan for children in the 5-to-11-year-old age group. Read More: Kids COVID Vaccine In NJ: New Timeline, Rollout Plan

65 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine intended for the age group — a total amount enough to inoculate 28 million individuals — have already been procured by the Biden administration, according to a statement.

The White House also added that it informed providers that, within a week of FDA approval, the vaccine (packaged in 10-dose vials in cartons of 10 vials each, delivered in a "newly updated product shipper") would be delivered to thousands of sites.

With reporting by Alexis Tarrazi.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.