Corona vaccinations: EMA releases Moderna for young people

In the EU countries, another vaccine can be given to children and adolescents. The EMA has also approved the Moderna vaccine for the 12-17 age group. The Ministry of Health welcomed the move.

The corona vaccine from the US manufacturer Moderna can also be injected into children and adolescents from the age of 12 according to a recommendation by the EU Medicines Agency. The EMA experts rated the relevant data from studies as positive and cleared the way for the vaccine to be approved for 12 to 17 year olds. The EU Commission has yet to agree to this, but this is a matter of form.

Moderna’s preparation called Spikevax would be the second corona vaccine that can also be administered to young people. At the end of May, the preparation was also approved by BioNTech / Pfizer for 12 to 17 year olds. Moderna’s vaccine is already approved in the EU for people aged 18 and over. Just like adults, minors can also be vaccinated with two injections four weeks apart, the EMA said.

Study with more than 3700 children

According to the EMA, the effectiveness of Spikevax had been examined in an extensive study with more than 3700 children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. This makes it clear that the preparation is just as effective as it is in young adults aged 18 and over. The manufacturer itself had previously tested the vaccine in around 2,500 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 in the United States. According to the company, the effectiveness was 100 percent.

The EMA experts have now also confirmed that the preparation is just as safe and tolerable as it is in adults. Possible side effects included pain and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache and muscle pain, nausea, and fever. The symptoms are mostly mild and only last a few days. The very rare side effects found in adults, such as inflammation of the heart muscle and inflammation of the pericardium, could not be determined, according to the experts, given the small number of test persons. But there is no doubt about the safety of the preparation. The control for possible side effects will be continued permanently, said the EU authority.

“Every vaccination counts”

The Federal Ministry of Health welcomed the release. “That’s good news,” said a spokeswoman. “Every vaccination counts – especially now that the number of infections is rising again.” Children and adolescents from the age of twelve would also be protected by a vaccination. Now the federal states could offer those children and adolescents who want to be vaccinated “a vaccination offer even faster,” said the spokeswoman.

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder called on the other federal states to agree on a school vaccination campaign. Söder explained that one could not wait for the STIKO to reconsider its cautious opinion.

His health minister Klaus Holetschek expressed the hope that the STIKO would expand its recommendation. With the expected approval of the Moderna vaccine, “two highly effective preparations will be on the market with which we can expand our vaccination campaign to other groups of the population who have previously been largely excluded from vaccination,” the minister told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

STIKO restricts recommendations for young people

In Germany, children and young people from the age of twelve can be vaccinated against the coronavirus since June 7th. The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) only recommends this if you have certain previous illnesses or other risk factors. With reference to the sparse data situation so far, it has not yet issued a general vaccination recommendation for children and adolescents.

Since many adults have not yet been vaccinated and there are not enough corona vaccines worldwide, immunization of children is controversial: Children and adolescents only very rarely suffer from severe Covid 19 diseases. On the other hand, their vaccination can help achieve community protection, known as herd immunity.