Moderna asks FDA to authorize COVID vaccine for emergency use in children under 6

Moderna asked Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators on Thursday to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children under 6 years of age. 

The biotech company said the shot was about 51% effective against the virus for kids under 2 years old and about 37% effective in kids ages 2 to 5.

It added that similar requests are underway with international regulatory authorities, noting that the requests are based on a 25-microgram two-dose primary series of the vaccine. 

"We are proud to share that we have initiated our EUA submission for authorization for our COVID-19 vaccine for young children," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement. "We believe mRNA-1273 will be able to safely protect these children against SARS-CoV-2, which is so important in our continued fight against COVID-19 and will be especially welcomed by parents and caregivers."