Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Moderna Says It Will Soon Test Vaccine On Children Ages 12-17
The New York Times: Moderna To Begin Testing Its Coronavirus Vaccine In Children
The drugmaker Moderna said on Wednesday that it would soon begin testing its coronavirus vaccine in children ages 12 through 17. The study, listed Wednesday on the website clinicaltrials.gov, is to include 3,000 children, with half receiving two shots of vaccine four weeks apart, and half getting placebo shots of salt water. But the posting says the study is “not yet recruiting,” and Colleen Hussey, a spokeswoman for Moderna, said it was not certain when the testing sites would be listed or start accepting volunteers. A link on the website to test centers is not yet working, and Ms. Hussey said she was not sure when it would become active. (Grady, 12/2)
The Hill: Moderna To Begin Testing COVID-19 Vaccine In Children
Moderna said Wednesday it will begin testing its COVID-19 vaccine on children, starting with kids aged 12 through 17. The study aims to "evaluate the safety" of a single dose level of the vaccine administered "to an adolescent population," according to the study notes, posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. The study will include 3,000 participants, with half receiving the vaccine and half being injected with a saline placebo. Both will be administered in two doses, scheduled 28 days apart. (Polus, 12/2)
In related news about children and COVID —
The Washington Post: When Will Children Get A Coronavirus Vaccine, And How Will It Affect School?
As the United States eagerly awaits the availability of a safe, effective vaccine for the coronavirus that has plagued the nation for months, a significant group, making up more than one-fifth of the population, will need to wait longer than many others for immunization: children. On Sunday, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, acknowledged it is going to take time, perhaps even months, before those younger than 18 can get a coronavirus vaccine, as trials to test the vaccine candidates’ immunogenicity are either underway or have yet to begin. (Kornfield, 12/2)
The New York Times: Rapid Testing For Children Barrels Ahead, Despite A Lack Of Data
A small but growing body of evidence, some of which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, suggests that some rapid tests for the coronavirus may falter in very young people, letting low-level infections slip by unnoticed. In a recent study of more than 1,600 people in Massachusetts, Binax NOW, a rapid test manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, caught 96.5 percent of the coronavirus infections found by a more accurate laboratory test in adults with symptoms. But the rapid test detected just 77.8 percent of the symptomatic cases in people 18 or under. Among people without symptoms, the test faltered further, identifying 70.2 percent of adults and 63.6 percent of children. (Wu, 12/1)
CNN: What Matters: Now We Have Proof That Kids Are Paying The Price Of Covid
Nine months into the pandemic, the US still has not figured out how to get all of its kids safely back into classrooms, and now we are starting to see the cost of the cumulative individual and policy decisions that have made opening schools so hard. It is exactly what was feared. The pandemic is affecting children of color more than White kids and test scores are down disproportionately in schools with high rates of poverty, according to a new report from the nonprofit NWEA. (Wolf, 12/2)
The Washington Post: Remote-Learning Strategies For Parents During Covid School Closures
When virtual school began in August, Brandi McPherson initially followed the remote-learning guidelines from her 13-year-old daughter’s school. “They told the kids to sit at a desk or table and leave the cameras on all day,” she said. “Classes are taught from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in 45-minute blocks with five-minute breaks.” It was too much for Tanner, a seventh-grader in the Northridge area of Los Angeles, who is twice exceptional — she is gifted and struggles with ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder. (Goldman, 12/1)
In other pediatric news —
KHN: Feds Look To Pharmacists To Boost Childhood Immunization Rates
Torey Watson is trained as a pharmacist but aims to do more than simply fill prescriptions. Pharmax Pharmacy — a small drugstore chain where Watson works as a clinical services coordinator, about an hour and 30 minutes southwest of St. Louis — will soon allow him to offer childhood vaccines to patients without a doctor’s prescription. This change came after the federal government expanded pharmacists’ ability to administer routine immunizations to children as young as 3. (Heredia Rodriguez, 12/3)
