Washington University in St. Louis Set to Begin Study of COVID-19 Vaccines in Children

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, is preparing to study the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on children and has launched an online registry for families who want to participate.

Dr. David Hunstad, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital said trials are expected to begin soon. While far fewer children who get infected with COVID-19 get seriously ill, they can still spread the virus, and that means inoculating them could mark a significant step toward slowing the spread.

“It’s important to evaluate the vaccines in children to ensure that if they are used, the immune responses, the protection, will be as good as what has been seen in adults,” said Dr. Hunstad.

Over the past year, Missouri has been hard at work combatting COVID-19. In fact, Missouri played a key role in developing the successful COVID-19 vaccine. Washington University in St. Louis has been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

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