2 experimental COVID-19 vaccines reach critical milestone -- What does this mean?

Testing begins in new age group

DETROIT – There has been some progress involving two of the experimental vaccines for COVID-19.

The vaccines have reached a critical milestone, one by the numbers, and one in beginning testing in a new age group.

Moderna, the first company to start a U.S. clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine, has reached its target of enrolling 30,000 participants.

READ: 4 COVID-19 vaccines have reached final stage of testing in United States

All of the volunteers have received their first dose of either a vaccine or a placebo. Most have received a second shot too.

Moderna’s president says the company is on track to apply to the FDA for an emergency use authorization in early December, “if all the stars align.” That includes meeting, or exceeding, the requirements to measure safety and effectiveness.

READ: Poll: Michigan voters wary of getting COVID-19 vaccine

Meanwhile, Pfizer is hitting its own milestone. It has started testing the vaccine on 100 children ages 12 to 15 years old.

Moderna and Pfizer are the farthest along in their research, but there are currently nine vaccines in various phases of clinical trials in the U.S. The two other late-stage trials are by Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca. Those have been put on hold while investigators review what caused a participant to fall ill.

READ: Continuous COVID-19 coverage


About the Authors:

You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.