Atrium Health Levine launches COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial for young children
Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital is launching a COVID-19 vaccine trial for children ages 6 months to 5 years.
The hospital is the first and only site in the Charlotte area offering the trial to that age group.
The study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immune response to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It will be the same one that has been authorized for people ages five and older, adjusted to a lower dose.
A third dose is also being tested in this age group to make sure they receive the same level of immune protection that has been beneficial in older children.
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Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital administered its first dose to a two-year-old pediatric patient on Monday.
The child’s mother, Rupal Jaffa, said she was ready for this day to come.
“I’ve been waiting for so long for a vaccine to come out for somebody of Arvind’s age, and the other thing I’m really big on is contributing to scientific progress, and I feel relatively confident that this vaccine is safe and it has the potential to protect him and our family and other people from getting COVID,” said Jaffa.
The news comes after a recent spike in COVID-19 infections, with over 50,000 children infected in the past week.
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