Parents Wait Anxiously On Vaccine For Kids, Moderna Trial Ongoing

There's currently no vaccine for kids younger than 12, But a Moderna trial in the metro is already underway.

Tuesday, August 10th 2021, 4:31 pm



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Right now, there's no vaccine for kids younger than 12. But a Moderna trial in the metro is already underway.

The Lynn Institute said there have been thousands of parents reaching out wanting to get their children vaccinated, but a very limited number of slots.

Some parents have reached out to News 9 concerned about their child's safety. The good news, relief could be just about a month away.

"My nephew was born three months premature," Elijah Flores' aunt Kasandra Flores said.

She said her 5-year-old nephew has underlying health conditions, including asthma. Kasandra said sending him to school this year is a major concern.

"If my children could get the vaccine that would definitely decrease the anxiety I have," mom of three Nhu Tran said.

Parents and families like the Flores and Tran families are having to make tough decisions without a vaccine available for their little ones.

"We haven't really been going anywhere," Tran said. "My 3-year-old probably doesn't even know how to make friends other than her little brother."

"Both Moderna and Pfizer have taken a really, really slow approach to the kids trials," President and CEO of the Lynn Institute Carlos Blanco said.

Blanco said they are seeing companies take a handful of kids at a time for their trials and making sure to be diligent.

"The dosage with it is less," Blanco said. "The vigilance in terms of watching out for side effects is much greater. So, we are being much more careful to look for just the slightest symptoms."

The institute has been a site for COVID vaccine trials throughout the pandemic and Blanco told News 9 the 12 to 17 kids trial went very well.

For parents waiting and hoping for protection but unable to get into the trial, Blanco said there could be good news coming.

"We expect that by the end of September Pfizer will have its vaccine fully approved, fully FDA approved," Blanco said. "And we are hoping that it includes children all the way down to six months."

If that's the case both the Flores and Tran families said they will rush out to get their children a dose.

At the Lynn Institute they said they have just 75 slots left for their Moderna kids trial, and they are anticipating those to be filled by people that have already called.

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