MODERNA said Tuesday its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12, a step that could put the shot on track to become the second option for that age group.

Earlier this month, the U.S. and Canada authorized another vaccine — the shot made by Pfizer and BioNTech — to be used starting at age 12.

Moderna aims to be next in line, saying it will submit its teen data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global regulators early next month. The company studied more than 3,700 12- to 17-year-olds. Preliminary findings showed the vaccine triggered the same signs of immune protection in kids as it does in adults, and the same kind of temporary side effects such as sore arms, headache and fatigue. There were no COVID-19 diagnoses in those given two doses of the Moderna vaccine compared with four cases among kids given dummy shots. In a press release, the company also said the vaccine appeared 93 percent effective two weeks after the first dose.

“Moderna is much easier to administer. So for me, as a pediatrician, I can keep Moderna very easily in a regular freezer to vaccinate my patients,” said Dr. Dyan Hes, of Gramercy Pediatrics in New York City.

While children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19, they represent about 14 percent of the United States’ coronavirus cases. At least 316 have died in the country, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun testing in even younger children, from age 11 down to 6-month-old babies. This testing is more complex: Teens receive the same dose as adults, but researchers are testing smaller doses in younger children. Experts hope to see some results in the fall.(SD-Agencies)