A Pleasant Hills family practice is the only site in Pennsylvania to be selected for a COVID-19 vaccine trial for children.
Preferred Primary Care Physicians in Pleasant Hills is one of 75 total sites across the country participating in the Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine clinical trial for children.
Alan Abraham, Preferred Primary Care Physicians Director of Research, who is overseeing the clinical trial in Pittsburgh, said the trial is for children 12 to 17 years old. Right now the clinic is getting the word out, trying to enroll 80 children ages to participate.
“In a typical trial we may see five or six patients because its very difficult to enroll patients into trials. In this case we know of a lot of people already interested,” he said.
Dr. Bryce Palchick said it is important for children to be eligible to get the shot because while they are at less risk than adults, “they are not a zero risk they can still get sick and do quite poorly.”
The clinic anticipates to start scheduling patients and begin the trial in a few weeks. A vaccine for kids could be available by the end of the year.
“You need a solid two months of safety data before you can even go to the FDA to get something emergency approved,” Abraham said.
Parents interested in signing their kids up for this clinical trial can call 412-650-6155.
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