--- title: Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids description: Moderna plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old canonical: https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-10-25T15:44:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:15:58.876Z article:section: Health og:title: Moderna Reports COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids og:description: Moderna plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old og:url: https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415d8faacc9feee8/698a1e14457a52ecd0d65a07/GettyImages-1332309491.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: COVID-19 Vaccination in Colombia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Moderna Reports COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids twitter:description: Moderna plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415d8faacc9feee8/698a1e14457a52ecd0d65a07/GettyImages-1332309491.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:41 video:published: 2021-06-10 section: health topics: COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine trials, pediatric vaccination, vaccine efficacy, FDA authorization, school reopening, pandemic control, immune system development genre: news explainer tones: informative, hopeful, measured, urgent emotions: hope (medium), reassurance (medium), concern (low) sentiment: positive audience: general public, parents, educators, health policy readers organizations: Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, US Food and Drug Administration products: COVID-19 vaccine content_suitability: health controversy [00:42-01:00]; death [00:00-00:05] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Moderna Reports COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=c32366a2-a634-4fa7-9626-136b2d1ec057&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Vaccinating Younger Children Is The Next Step in the Battle Against Covid-19 [Watch (HLS stream): Vaccinating Younger Children Is The Next Step in the Battle Against Covid-19](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OfRzsXdw.m3u8) (2:41)  _Published 2021-06-10. The company plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video traces how COVID-19 vaccine testing moved from adults to children. It explains that young children were less affected early in the pandemic, that vaccines were first tested in older people, and that trials were then extended to teens and even babies. It closes by arguing that vaccinating children will help schools reopen safely and control the pandemic. ## Key points - Young children did not seem to get infected as often as adults, and when they did, they seemed less sick and less likely to need hospital care. (00:08) - Vaccine makers initially tested their shots on the elderly first, since older people seemed to be the most vulnerable. (00:18) - Early studies at the end of December 2020 showed Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna vaccines were more than 90% efficacious, prompting attention to children. (00:27) - Scientists often start with adults because young children's immune systems are still developing, so unproven treatments could cause long-term harm. (00:42) - In March 2021, Pfizer and BioNTech reported that none of the vaccinated teens aged 12 to 15 reported COVID-19 symptoms. (01:12) - In May 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration extended Pfizer BioNTech's vaccine authorization to include teens. (01:26) - Moderna reported similarly positive trial results among teenagers and requested FDA permission for 12 to 15 year olds to be vaccinated. (01:37) - Both companies are testing vaccines in children as young as six months old, using lower doses because younger children's immune systems often respond more quickly. (01:52) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:42] Early pandemic and adult-first vaccine testing. Describes young children's lower infection rates early on and why vaccine makers first tested on older adults after promising results. - [00:42 to 01:00] Why children are tested after adults. Explains that scientists usually test new treatments in adults first to ensure safety, since children's immune systems are still developing. - [01:00 to 01:52] Positive results in teen trials. Covers the safety and efficacy findings in teens and the FDA's decision to extend authorization to that group. - [01:52 to 02:41] Testing in younger children and why it matters. Covers trials in very young children and argues that vaccinating children will make schools safer and help end the pandemic. ## Key quotes - [00:00] narrator: "When COVID-19 began its devastating march of infection in 2020." - [00:42] narrator: "When it comes to new drugs or vaccines, scientists often start with adults first, to make sure that the experimental therapies are safe." - [01:00] narrator: "But once the COVID-19 vaccines were shown to be safe and effective in adults, researchers were more confident in testing them in children." - [02:10] narrator: "Vaccinating younger and younger children will be important in the fall when schools reopen." - [02:29] narrator: "And that's the only way to control COVID-19 and put the pandemic behind us." ## Questions this video answers - Why were young children not initially the first group tested for COVID-19 vaccines? [00:42] - What did early trial results show about COVID-19 vaccine efficacy? [00:27] - What did trials in teens aged 12 to 15 find? [01:12] - Why are lower doses being tested in toddlers and babies? [02:00] - How could vaccinating children help control the pandemic? [02:10] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:42-01:00]: Discusses potential long-term harm from testing unproven vaccines in children, a sensitive subject for some advertisers. - death [00:00-00:05]: References the devastating march of COVID-19 infection, which relates to a pandemic with mortality, though no deaths are described directly.  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 25, 2021 3:44 PM UTC  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Oct 25, 2021 3:44 PM UTC Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and efficacious for children ages 6 to 11 years old who recieve two half doses, the company [said today](https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-positive-top-line-data-phase-23-study-covid-19). That’s based on the results of its KidCOVE study, which involved more than 4,700 kids in that age group. The children participating in Moderna’s trial were randomly assigned to receive two half doses of the vaccine or two shots of a placebo. Those who got the vaccine generated adequate virus-fighting antibodies that met the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements for efficacy, and the vaccine produced an immune response in nearly all the children. Most of the side effects after vaccination were mild to moderate, including fatigue, fever, headache and pain at the injection site. Meanwhile, an independent FDA panel will review data on the [Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine](https://time.com/5949859/pfizer-vaccine-children-under-12/) in children ages 5 to 11 on Oct. 26\. The age range in KidCOVE varies slightly, given that Pfizer-BioNTech included children as young as 5\. Moderna is continuing to study younger children and will report results on kids ages 2 to 5 and 6 months to under 2 years in the coming months. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently [authorized a half dose](https://time.com/6109275/cdc-panel-recommends-moderna-jj-boosters/) of Moderna’s vaccine as a booster for certain adults over 18 years old. ## Transcript [00:00] When COVID-19 began its devastating march of infection in 2020. [00:05] There was one glimmer of hope amid the darkness. [00:08] Young children did not seem to be getting infected as often as [00:12] adults. And when they did, they didn't seem to get as sick or [00:16] require hospital care. [00:18] Older people seem to be the most vulnerable, [00:21] so when vaccine makers were ready to test their [00:23] shots, they started with the elderly first. [00:27] When the first studies at the end of December 2020 were [00:30] reassuringly positive, showing that vaccines from Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna [00:35] were more than 90% efficacious, those companies immediately turn [00:39] their attention to children. [00:42] When it comes to new drugs or vaccines, scientists often start with adults first, [00:47] to make sure that the experimental therapies are safe. Young children's [00:52] immune systems are still developing, so testing unproven [00:56] treatments in them can potentially lead to long term harm. [01:00] But once the COVID-19 vaccines were shown to be safe [01:03] and effective in adults, researchers were more confident [01:07] in testing them in children. And that confidence was justified. [01:12] In March 2021, Pfizer and BioNTech reported that among [01:16] teens aged 12 to 15, who received the vaccine, none [01:20] reported symptoms of COVID-19. So in May 2021, the US Food and [01:26] Drug Administration extended the authorization for Pfizer [01:29] BioNTech's vaccine to include not just adults, but teens as well. [01:37] That same month, Moderna reported similarly positive [01:41] results in its trial among teenagers. Moderna has requested [01:45] the FDA to allow 12 to 15 year olds to also get vaccinated [01:48] with the Moderna shot. [01:52] Both companies are also testing their vaccines [01:55] in even younger children down to babies as young as six months old. [02:00] For these toddlers and babies, the companies are [02:02] testing lower doses of their vaccines, since younger [02:05] children's immune systems are often quicker to respond. [02:10] Vaccinating younger and younger children will be important in [02:13] the fall when schools reopen. Children who are immunized will [02:17] be safer in classrooms and be less likely to get infected or [02:21] spread the virus to others. Vaccinating children will also [02:25] mean that the virus will have fewer and fewer people to infect. [02:29] And that's the only way to control COVID-19 and put the [02:33] pandemic behind us. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/"},"headline":"Moderna Reports COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids","datePublished":"2021-10-25T15:44:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T09:15:58.876Z","description":"The company plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old","url":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/","keywords":["COVID-19"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415d8faacc9feee8/698a1e14457a52ecd0d65a07/GettyImages-1332309491.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415d8faacc9feee8/698a1e14457a52ecd0d65a07/GettyImages-1332309491.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"COVID-19 Vaccination in Colombia","caption":"COVID-19 Vaccination in Colombia","creditText":"Long Visual Press/Universal Imag—Miyer Juana/Long Visual Press","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/covid-19/","name":"COVID-19"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/","name":"Moderna Reports COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Efficacious for Kids"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Vaccinating Younger Children Is The Next Step in the Battle Against Covid-19","description":"The company plans to submit a request to authorize the vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OfRzsXdw/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2021-06-10T18:32:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OfRzsXdw.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/","duration":"PT2M41S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6110111/moderna-covid-vaccine-safe-kids/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```