The world is slowly getting back to normal after more than two years of the Covid pandemic upending everything.
Nearly 6 million people died from Covid-related issues as of the end of 2021, and at least one study suggests that the actual number is more than triple that figure.
To estimate Covid-19 deaths, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation used an excess mortality measure, comparing the total deaths reported in a region or country, from all causes, with how many deaths would be expected given Covid trends in recent years.
Children, while less susceptible to the major effects of Covid than adults are, have also suffered under the pandemic.
As of last week, nearly 13 million total Covid cases involving children were reported in the U.S., representing 19% of total cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That translates to an overall infection rate of about 17,000 cases per 100,000 children in the population.
At the same time, the risk of hospitalization for kids is very low. Among states reporting, children ranged from 1.3% to 4.6% of total hospitalizations.
Put another way, just 0.1% to 1.5% of all child Covid cases resulted in hospitalization. The child mortality rate ranged between 0% and 0.27%.
Moderna Says Its Vaccine Is Safe for Small Children
Even with the low hospitalization rate, many parents want to vaccinate their young children. Moderna (MRNA) says it has the product to meet that demand.
On Wednesday, the Cambridge, Mass., company said its vaccine works in and is safe for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
The company is currently involved in a Phase 2/3 study involving children 6 months to under 2 years and 2 years to under 6 years of age.
"We believe these latest results from the KidCove study are good news for parents of children under 6 years of age. We now have clinical data on the performance of our vaccine from infants six months of age through older adults," Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
"Given the need for a vaccine against Covid-19 in infants and young children, we are working with the U.S. [Food and Drug Administration] and regulators globally to submit these data as soon as possible."
Moderna initiated a submission for emergency use authorization for its Covid vaccine for children 6 to 11 years old and is updating the FDA emergency-use-authorization submission for its vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 17.
Prominently Used and Lucrative Vaccine
Moderna's Covid vaccine is the 12-year old biopharmaceutical company's first product. The company received emergency-use authorization for the product in December 2020.
Moderna's shots are the second most commonly used vaccine in the U.S., behind Pfizer (PFE). More than 209 million Moderna doses have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CEO Bancel has sold $408 million in company stock since the pandemic began, CNBC reported last week, averaging about $3.6 million a week. He has become a billionaire on the back of his Moderna holdings, with an estimated net worth of more than $5.3 billion in company equity alone.
Moderna's stock has jumped by more than a factor of seven since Jan. 23, 2020, when the company received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
Moderna reported its first profit ever last year. The company earned $12.2 billion on $17.7 billion in Covid vaccine sales. It is projecting $19 billion in shot sales this year.
