MADISON, Wis. — UW Health has been selected for KidCOVE, a three-phase clinical trial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for young children. Researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine among three age groups: 6 months through 2-years-old, 2-years-old through age 6, and ages 6 through 12. 

They will be one of about 100 sites involved in the study.

Currently, children under the age of 12 are not eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but this trial hopes to change that. 

“Kids have had to sit and wait, that’s why these trials are done,” said Dr. William Hartman, co-principal investigator of the KidCOVE Study at UW Health. “We want to make sure that when the vaccines are available to our kids, that we have the safest and most effective injection that we are going to put into their arms to keep them safe from COVID-19.”

The Moderna vaccine will be administered in two doses, the same as an adult vaccine, 4-weeks, apart with at least four follow-up appointments. The participation length for the trial will be about 14 months. 

“I think people are normal to be apprehensive, and it's normal to be hesitant when they hear the word trial, but this is how the science is done,” said Dr. Hartman. “This is how we make new discoveries or establish the effectiveness and the safety of things that have been discovered. This is the final frontier for fighting COVID-19.”

Dr. Hartman is confident the vaccine will be just as effective for kids as it has been for adults. The trial will also help determine the safest dosage for the different age groups. 

Some parents with children under the age of 12 are still hesitant about the potential of a COVID-19 vaccine for children.

“Yeah, definitely not,” said Shay Legg, a mother to children under the age of 12. “No research. I don’t think that they need it. I think that they still don’t know anything about the vaccine for adults, much less [for] kids, so no, I would not.”

Other parents feel they wouldn’t be comfortable with participating in a trial but are hopeful for an approved vaccine for children soon. 

“I know it's a hard thing because it took a little bit for it to be available for everyone, [for] adults,” said Katie Holmes, mother to two children under the age of 12. “But yeah, we would love to see it happen sooner rather than later just to have that extra sense of security and wouldn’t have any problem having our kids vaccinated when it becomes available.”

Researchers are working to fill 4,000 spots for each age group nationwide. Dr. Hartman adds he’s grateful that U-W was selected as a site for this trial to continue working towards a solution for the COVID-19 global pandemic.