Alexandra and Isabelle King had a pretty good excuse to get out of ninth-grade science one recent Friday. The 14-year-old twin sisters had to miss class because they were participating in an important science experiment: a clinical trial in Houston, Texas, of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine to evaluate whether the shot is effective and safe in children ages 12 through 17.
“In science we’re learning about, like, genetics and stuff like that,” says Alexandra. “So maybe the teacher will say, ‘Oh, you really shouldn’t have to take the test, because you’re contributing to science already.’”
Teenagers contract Covid-19 almost twice as often as younger children, but the vaccines in the U.S. were first authorized mostly for adults—Moderna and Johnson & Johnson* for people 18 and older, Pfizer for those 16 and up. While teens don’t become severely ill as often as adults, research suggests that because they’re often asymptomatic, they can be efficient spreaders—to one another as well as to adults.
That’s why experts believe vaccinating students will be key in defeating Covid-19. And teens like the Kings—who’ve all seen their academic and social lives curtailed by the virus—are helping make that a reality by volunteering for clinical trials across the nation.
So far, the results have been encouraging: Pfizer’s trial for ages 12 to 15 this winter found that the vaccine is extremely effective in young adolescents. If the vaccine’s performance in adults was A-plus, says Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, the results in teens were “A-plus-plus.”
Other teen trials are still ongoing with other companies, however. More results are expected sometime this summer.
Alexandra and Isabelle King had a pretty good excuse to get out of ninth-grade science one recent Friday. The 14-year-old twin sisters had to miss class because they were participating in an important science experiment. They were taking part in a clinical trial in Houston, Texas, of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. The trial was designed to test whether the shot is effective and safe in children ages 12 through 17.
“In science we’re learning about, like, genetics and stuff like that,” says Alexandra. “So maybe the teacher will say, ‘Oh, you really shouldn’t have to take the test, because you’re contributing to science already.’”
Teenagers contract Covid-19 almost twice as often as younger children. But the vaccines in the U.S. were first approved mostly for adults. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson* were cleared for people 18 and older, and Pfizer for those 16 and up. Teens don’t become severely ill as often as adults. Still, research suggests that they’re often asymptomatic. That means that they can be efficient spreaders to one another as well as to adults.
That’s why experts believe vaccinating students will be key in defeating Covid-19. Teens like the Kings have all seen their academic and social lives disrupted by the virus. And they’re taking action, volunteering for clinical trials across the nation. Their efforts will help make beating Covid-19 a reality.
So far, the results have been encouraging. Pfizer’s trial for ages 12 to 15 this winter found that the vaccine is extremely effective in youth. If the vaccine’s performance in adults was A-plus, says Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, the results in teens were “A-plus-plus.”
But other teen trials are still ongoing with other companies. More results are expected sometime this summer.