On the same day when about 50 students ages 12-17 received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot in St. Clairsville, Moderna said 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 in the U.S.

With global vaccine supplies still tight, much of the world is struggling to vaccinate adults in the quest to end the pandemic. But 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 Tuesday 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 and side effects in kids as it does in adults.

Those temporary side effects include discomfort 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% effective two weeks after the first dose.

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

With plenty of vaccine supply in the U.S., younger teens flocked to get Pfizer’s shot in the days after FDA opened it to them, part of a push to get as many kids vaccinated as possible before the next school year.

Locally, teens received the first of two Pfizer shots in the St. Clairsville-Richland City and Barnesville Exempted Village school districts Tuesday. Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said about 50 young St. Clairsville area students were vaccinated, with the second dose to be administered in about 29 days. He did not know how many in Barnesville received the shot.

“It looked like we had nice numbers,” St. Clairsville Superintendent Walt Skaggs said. “The parents that I talked to were all very grateful that we were having it, and that they had the option to get it at the school.”

Sproul said clinics will be held today at the Somerton and Lafferty fire departments and at St. John Catholic Church and the Rose Hill Towers apartments in Bellaire.

On Thursday vaccinations will take place at Nickles Bakery, the Colerain social hall, and the Union Local School District.

On Friday, the Bridgeport Exempted Village School District will host a clinic.

The regular walk-in vaccination clinic will also be held10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville.

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.