The UMass School of Medicine in Worcester is scheduled to begin enrollment in the Moderna coronavirus vaccine study among adolescents next month.
The Cambridge-based Modern Biotechnology Company said teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 will receive their experimental vaccine in the hope that it will be safe and effective enough to be given to teenagers before the 2021 school year.
The study will include 3,000 children, as listed on clincaltrials.gov, to begin the first step in vaccinating young people.
Enrollment will begin at UMass School of Medicine in February. The test is being conducted at about 15 locations in the US, some of which have already started operating.
Meanwhile, Pfizer said it has fully enrolled its COVID vaccine in children between the ages of 12 and 15. According to a recent report, as of January 14, more than 2.5 million cases of COVID have been reported in children, accounting for about 13% of all cases.
It is unclear how long it will take to determine if the vaccine is safe for children under 16.