SoCal siblings get Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as part of clinical trial for young children

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A pair of brave Southern California siblings are helping efforts to vaccinate young children. They've both received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a clinical trial to determine its safety and efficacy for children under the age of 12.

Six-year-old Avery Shih and her 11-year-old brother Aiden are now part of history as some of the first kids to receive their second dose of the Moderna vaccine.

"I thought it would be a good opportunity to not only get the vaccine, but also if we can figure out what the correct dose is for children my age, than a lot more children can get the vaccine," Aiden said.

Their mom, Erin, took part in the Pfizer trial. Aiden and Avery also want to be part of the fight against COVID-19.

RELATED: Children who can't yet get vaccinated are still vulnerable to COVID-19, experts warn

With fewer people wearing masks, you can see the relief on many faces. Vaccination is giving people protection, but there's still a large number of Americans who remain vulnerable.

"We had a conversation with the kids," Erin Shih said. "We talked about the opportunity and we gave them a choice, but they were really excited to be a part of it, so we supported that."

The trial at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center comes as the new Delta variant continues to spread, pushing the number of cases in L.A. County to levels not seen in weeks.

For the Shih family, the ultimate goal is to stay safe and hopefully help other kids do the same.