Moderna could be given to two year old children and could be made in Australia

Moderna’s Covid vaccine could be the key to controlling the virus in childcare centres, as more details about plans to produce the jab in Australia emerge.

Exclusive: Children as young as two could soon be receiving Moderna jabs with the US manufacturer also revealing plans to make the mRNA vaccine in Australia.

Moderna is due to release its clinical studies on immunising children under 12 in November – just a month after getting approval for the vaccine to be used by 12 to 15-year-olds.

And it can be revealed the vaccines could soon be manufactured here with Moderna confirming it is in discussions with the Australian Government.

“We’re certainly very eager to kind of get that collaboration going,” Moderna’s chief medical officer Dr Paul Burton has told News Corp.

“Our CEO has been having discussions with the Australian Government about opportunities of bringing manufacturing to Australia,” he said.

“That’s an exciting proposition I think for us and for Australia.”

Moderna's Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Burton.

Pfizer is already seeking approval for its Covid vaccine to be used in children aged over five in the US but Dr Burton said Moderna hoped its jab could be used in even younger children.

“At the moment, it’s been approved for use in adults and children aged over 12 and we’re certainly going down into, you know, infants, two years old,” he said.

“I would think we’ll get those results, you know, shortly before the end of the year, maybe November time frame.”

The company is already conducting clinical trials of Covid booster shots that specifically target the Delta and Beta strains of the virus and it’s likely this is the vaccine the company could manufacture in Australia.

Moderna’s production method allowed it to include up to 30 different elements in the one vaccine and it can pivot to include any new variants that emerge.

“I’m certain that we are doing a Beta, Delta combination,” he said.

“In our cancer program, when we do personalised cancer vaccines, we can put 30 different messenger RNAs so we can we can combine against many different messenger RNAs and proteins.”

Vials of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are pictured at a pharmacy. Pharmacies have began administering the Moderna vaccine to anyone over 12 years-old. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Multiple studies have now reported that Moderna’s vaccine, which contains three times more mRNA than Pfizer, is the most effective on the market.

A US Centres for Disease Control found Moderna’s vaccine was 93 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 hospitalisation, compared to 88 per cent for the Pfizer vaccine and 71 per cent for Johnson and Johnson’s.

Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines had nearly the same efficacy against hospitalisation four months after the jabs were given but from that point, the effectiveness of Pfizer dropped from 91 per cent to 77 per cent.

Moderna’s efficacy against hospitalisation dropped only one per cent after four months.

The Australian and the Victorian governments are both investigating setting up manufacturing sites for mRNA vaccines in Australia.

The federal Government asked for expressions of interest earlier this year and is now assessing multiple bids with an announcement expected in coming weeks.

An Australian mRNA vaccine against Covid is being developed by Monash University’s Professor Colin Pouton, with clinical trials expected to begin in November.

The Monash jab is part of an attempt to set up mRNA vaccine production plant in Australia.

The mRNA vaccine will be trialled in 150 people in conjunction with a second protein based Covid vaccine developed by the Doherty Institute with preliminary results expected to be available in the first half of 2022.

The Victorian Government has contributed $50 million towards establishing an mRNA manufacturing plant in the state and $5 million will support Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) to manufacture doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for trials.

‘WE JUST WANT TO PROTECT OUR KIDS’

Parents Seona and Hugo Donald can’t wait to vaccinate their daughters Chloe, 9, and Matilda, 5, against Covid – a shot that could save Matilda’s life.

Matilda was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare, genetic neuromuscular disease that progressively destroys motor neurons.

“That makes her respiratory system compromised, so my biggest concern would be that she caught it and she could very sick from it – that’s really scary,” Mrs Donald, who was fully vaccinated in June, said.

“We’ve had friends who have just recently had Covid with their three kids, and Hugo’s brothers in the UK and the girl’s cousins – so they know how sick it can make you.

“We’ve also got friends whose 12-year-olds are getting vaccinated, so Chloe and Matilda are excited to do the same.

“We just want to protect them as best we can.

Seona Donald with her kids Chloe, 9, and Matilda, 5. The Donald family can't wait to vaccinate their daughters. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“We also want to be able to go to the UK to see Hugo’s parents who are elderly – and we couldn’t take the children unless they were vaccinated, it’s just rife over there.”

Obstetric social worker and mother of four Genevieve Muir from Connected Parenting has vaccinated her 12-year-old son – and longs for the day her five, seven and 10-year-olds could have the same protection.

“As a mum I’m pro-vax because I trust the science – the fear of Covid is much more frightening to me than the vaccine and I think it’s our duty as members of a community,” she said.

“I also want my kids back at school.

“As a parent educator working with many families navigating vaccine decisions while pregnant or breastfeeding or for young kids, I empathise that it’s a lot at once and there is a lot of unknown, however once again I think we need to filter out some of the fear and misinformation, and just look to the science.”

Originally published as Moderna could be given to two year old children and could be made in Australia