-->

Coping with COVID: Children’s Mercy KC starts COVID vaccine trials for ages six months to 11

By Madison Parry

Children's Mercy Hospital announced it will be continuing its participation in a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine trial, announcing Wednesday it will now be focusing on participants aged 6-months-old through 11-years-old. Trials are being conducted with the Pfizer vaccine and includes three phases.

Kansas City area children will be participating in a vaccine trial study feeding into a nationwide trial effort to vaccinate youth in the U.S.

Children’s Mercy Hospital announced Wednesday its participation in a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine trial using the Pfizer vaccine, saying it will now focus on participants 6 months through 11-years-old in a three-phase study.

Phase 1 will focus on finding the proper dose of the vaccine for children under age 12, while Phases 2 and 3 will test the vaccine against a placebo, according to Children’s Mercy.

Detail of the trial note that those selected will participate in one of the three phases through the Infectious Diseases Research Department.

An information consent form located on the Children’s Mercy Kansas City website allows guardians to select for from four different research study opportunities offered for their child. These include:

  • Vaccine studies (such as COVID-19, influenza, or respiratory syncytial virus [RSV])
  • Medication and treatment study (treatments may be given related to a disease or condition your child has)
  • Observational study (no treatments given could include sample collection or surveys)
  • Epidemiological study (studies a specific condition or disease occurring in the community)

Children participating Phases 2 and 3 will be unblinded six months after receiving their second dose. Those who received a placebo will be offered the chance to receive the actual vaccine.

Those as young as seven-years-old will need to give their own permission to participate in the study at Children’s Mercy.

Participants will have their blood drawn before receiving the first and second doses of the vaccine, approximately one apart, and again about a week after receiving the second does.