DETROIT – There has been some progress involving two of the experimental vaccines for COVID-19.
The vaccines have reached a critical milestone, one by the numbers, and one in beginning testing in a new age group.
Moderna, the first company to start a U.S. clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine, has reached its target of enrolling 30,000 participants.
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All of the volunteers have received their first dose of either a vaccine or a placebo. Most have received a second shot too.
Moderna’s president says the company is on track to apply to the FDA for an emergency use authorization in early December, “if all the stars align.” That includes meeting, or exceeding, the requirements to measure safety and effectiveness.
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Meanwhile, Pfizer is hitting its own milestone. It has started testing the vaccine on 100 children ages 12 to 15 years old.
Moderna and Pfizer are the farthest along in their research, but there are currently nine vaccines in various phases of clinical trials in the U.S. The two other late-stage trials are by Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca. Those have been put on hold while investigators review what caused a participant to fall ill.
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