It’s time to include children in COVID-19 vaccine trials

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccine development, don’t leave kids behind. This is the message from Sharon Nachman, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, and her co-authors on the newly published paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases titled: Warp Speed for COVID-19 Vaccines: Why are Children Stuck in Neutral?

“We need to start evaluating the different vaccines now and in the context of pediatric use, because if vaccines are approved and we don’t know how well they work for children that puts children at a higher risk for infection and further disease spread,” said Dr. Nachman.

She emphasizes that the “now” is essential in these times, as generally it takes up to eight years to license a vaccine used in adults then accommodated to license the vaccine in children.

“If we follow the usual model, we will be in trouble and never be able to modify the COVID-19 pandemic because we will have a huge swath of the population about whom we know nothing in regards to the infection and vaccination.”

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