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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are pediatric trials of coronavirus vaccine candidates underway?

By Christopher Hutton
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Pfizer Inc. expanded trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate to include minors in September, adding participants as young as 16, then in October adding patients as young as 12.

Pfizer is the first of multiple companies working on vaccines to announce initial success with its candidate, followed by Moderna Inc. Moderna may start pediatric trials by yearend, Medscape reports. It notes that AstraZeneca plc is already testing its vaccine candidate with 5- to 12-year-olds in the U.K.

Doctors and researchers caution that ensuring a vaccine is safe and effective for children requires care. "Children’s immune systems are very different from adults’, and their immune responses can be different at different ages, from infancy through the teenage years," a doctor at a Hartford children's hospital explains.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Pfizer: Expansion of pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial
USA Today: Pfizer has expanded its trial to include minors
Stat News: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is strongly effective, early look at data show
Medscape: Start pediatric trials for COVID-19 now, experts urge
Connecticut Children's Medical Center: When will the COVID-19 vaccine be available for kids?
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.