Their shots, delivered as two 25-microgram doses spaced four weeks apart, produced a similar immune response in young children as two larger doses did in adults. In a 6,700-participant randomized trial the vaccines triggered no safety concerns such as myocarditis or multisystem inflammatory syndrome, the company said in a .

鈥淲e now have clinical data on the performance of our vaccine from infants six months of age through older adults,” said Moderna CEO St茅phane Bancel. “Given the need for a vaccine against COVID-19 in infants and young children we are working with the U.S. FDA and regulators globally to submit these data as soon as possible.鈥�

The update offers a glimmer of hope to many parents frustrated that their young children remain ineligible for immunizations more than two years into the pandemic, and who expressed dismay following a dramatic reversal last month from Pfizer-BioNTech, which withdrew its request for FDA approval of shots for children under 5 just days after submission.聽

鈥淎s an [infectious disease] doc and dad, I鈥檝e been eagerly awaiting these data for 15 months now 鈥� sounds like we鈥檒l see them soon. Fingers firmly crossed,鈥� Roby Battacharyya on Twitter.

Trial data show shots were 43.7% and 37.5% effective in preventing illness among children 6 months to 2 years old and 2 years to under 6 years old, respectively. No immunized children in the study suffered severe disease or death, but neither did any youngsters in the control group who received no vaccine doses.聽

Jacqueline Miller, Moderna鈥檚 senior vice president for infectious diseases, hypothesized that the lower efficacy reflected the Omicron variant鈥檚 ability to evade immune defenses. Regardless, she said, the shots convey a level of protection.

鈥淲hat I will say is 37.5% and 43.7% are higher than zero,鈥�, . 鈥淚f I were the parent of a young child, I would want there to be some protection on board, especially if we see another wave of infections.鈥�

The news comes as school mask mandates continue to drop across the country. Some 92% of the largest 500 school districts did not require face coverings as of March 23 compared to only 58% at the beginning of the month and 35% at the beginning of February, according to the .

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that on April 4 the nation鈥檚 largest school district will be dropping its mask rule for toddlers 2- to 4-years old, which had stayed in place even after the city lifted its K-12 mandate.

Meanwhile, COVID cases in Europe are , fueled by the more transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.2. Even as infections continue to , many experts warn that the increases across the pond could foreshadow a coming wave in America.

As of March 16, 27% of children 5- to 11-year old and 57% of children 12- to 17-years old had completed their two-dose vaccine series, according to the .

In a key step toward coronavirus vaccine access for over 28 million U.S. children, Pfizer-BioNTech Thursday morning that they have submitted their formal request to federal regulators for authorization to deliver shots to youth ages 5 to 11.

The move comes after the pharmaceutical companies announced positive topline results among that age group in clinical trials in late September. The testing regimen delivered two reduced-potency doses to more than 2,000 youngsters, producing a 鈥渞obust鈥� antibody response, including immunity and side effects comparable to that produced by the larger dose in 16- to 25-year-old patients.聽

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鈥淲ith new cases in children in the U.S. continuing to be at a high level, this submission is an important step in our ongoing effort against COVID-19,鈥� Pfizer Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration has an Oct. 26 advisory committee meeting to review Pfizer-BioNTech鈥檚 request to expand authorization to younger children.聽

Pressed on what issues will be on the table during that meeting and how soon afterward authorization might be granted, a spokesperson responded to 蜜桃影视 that the 鈥淔DA cannot comment on its interactions with manufacturers about their investigational products.鈥�

Should the review process follow a similar timeline as it did for 12- to 15-year olds, which stretched just over a month from an April 9 submission to a May 10 authorization, children ages 5 to 11 could receive the greenlight for COVID immunizations by early- to mid-November, sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, schools are facing a third straight school year disrupted by the virus, which as of last week had even as cases overall have begun to fall. As of Sunday, outbreaks had triggered some across 561 districts since buildings opened their doors for the 2021-22 school year, according to the website Burbio, which has tracked school policies and schedules through the pandemic.

Although children rarely fall seriously ill from the virus, the Delta variant has driven up caseloads among unvaccinated Americans, including youth. Last week, over 173,000 pediatric cases were reported, accounting for nationwide, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Vaccines are currently authorized for youth ages 12 to 15, and fully approved for those 16 and up. As of Sept. 29, of 12- to 17-year olds in the U.S. had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the pediatrics academy, while of adults 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

Youth immunization rates, however, vary greatly by locale. In 10 states, ages 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while in 21 states, the same is true for less than half of youth that age.

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that for all eligible students in the state, though the rule will likely not go into effect until July 2022.

Some districts have moved to implement more immediate mandates for children ages 12 and up including Los Angeles, Oakland and Culver City, all in California; and Hoboken, New Jersey. Washington D.C. is also that would require all students to be fully immunized against the virus by Dec. 15.

Though it may prove a challenge to persuade the parents of K-12 students to receive vaccinations in some districts, COVID shots are the most effective way to defend children against the virus, Benjamin Linas, professor of medicine at Boston University, told 蜜桃影视 last month.

鈥淲ith the vaccine, you鈥檙e very well protected from the bad outcomes.鈥�