Research company to begin enrolling children in COVID-19 vaccine studies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local research company is looking for children to enroll in two COVID-19 vaccine studies.

At Clinical Research Associates, Medical Director Dr. Stephan Sharp has been busy as his team has contributed to several vaccine trials.

"Well first off, it’s a lot better to be vaccinated than to be sick, we’re now seeing especially in Michigan, an uptick in the number of kids who are being hospitalized with covid," Dr. Sharp said.

That's why Novavax is starting a national study on how their vaccine candidate impacts children ages 12 to 17.

"We start out with two-thirds getting vaccine, and one-third getting placebo," Sharp said. "Six months in, they offer the vaccine to the placebo group."

He said interested families are already calling with questions. Sharp said, "Nobody’s going to put kids at risk unnecessarily. They are at risk of having covid in the environment."

Nationwide, Novavax will enroll 3,000 adolescents, and dozens of them will be from the Middle Tennessee area. "So it’s good to remember that viruses, like any successful businesses, want more and more customers all the time,” Sharp said.

In addition, they’re going to collect data for a second study in June with Pfizer, which has already been approved for emergency use in adults. "We’re trying to do everything we can to make things safer for the population at large," Sharp said.

For the Pfizer study, they're looking to enroll children ages 6 months to 12-years-old.

"We have folks calling in advance of even starting enrollment because a lot of parents want their kids vaccinated," Sharp said.

Dr. Sharp said there's an influx of safety measures in place, and he hopes families will let their children participate.

Sharp said,"We’re moving back toward a more normal sense of existence."

If you have questions on the vaccine trials for children, Dr. Sharp said you can call Clinical Research Associates at 615-329-0197 or go here to fill out a pre-screening form.