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The Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine offered less protection against the omicron variant than the delta strain in children, but protected against severe disease from both variants, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
The report stated that vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 reduced hospitalizations with COVID-19 by more than two-thirds during the omicron surge and protected against serious illness.
Researchers found that vaccination also reduced hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 in adolescents aged 12 to 18 and strongly protected against serious illness, according to the study co-led by Dr. Adrienne Randolph, MD, M.Sc, at Boston Children’s Hospital with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“The reason a child gets vaccinated against COVID-19 is to prevent serious complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection, including hospitalization,” Randolph said in a press release. child and adult holding red heart with stethoscope, heart health, health insurance concept (Credit: iStock)
“This evidence shows that vaccination significantly reduces this risk in children 5-11 years of age. And while vaccination provided adolescents with less protection against hospitalization with omicron compared to delta, it prevented severe disease from both variants .”
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The study looked at data obtained from 1,185 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 between the ages of 5 and 18 and 1,627 age-matched control patients undiagnosed with Covid-19 at 31 pediatric hospitals in 23 states from July 2021 through February. 2022.
The researchers found that overall, 88% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated and 25% required survival measures.
They did further research to find that 92% of children aged 5 to 11 hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Sixteen percent of them were considered seriously ill and required life-sustaining interventions such as intubation. Of this group, 90% were unvaccinated, according to the study release.
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In the group of adolescents aged 12 to 18 hospitalized for COVID-19 infections, 87% were unvaccinated. The study indicated that twenty-seven percent were seriously ill and 93% of them were unvaccinated. Two children died, the statement said.
A researcher has advocated reopening schools to mitigate worsening mental health consequences for affected children. (iStock)
According to the study, two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were 68% effective in preventing hospitalization for omicron in the group of children aged 5 to 11 years. The researchers said in the statement that since this age group only recently became eligible for the vaccine, they could not effectively calculate the number of serious illnesses separately.
The study authors also said that in the 12-18 age group, vaccination was 92% effective against hospitalization with the delta variant, while it fell to 40% against the omicron variant. Despite the decline, the study authors said the vaccination was 96% effective in preventing severe cases of the disease during the delta period and 79% during the omicron wave.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite currently available vaccines for children and teens, researchers say parents are still hesitant to get vaccinated, and as of March 16, only 57% of children ages 12-17 years and 27% of children ages 5 to 11 had received two doses of the vaccine, according to the report which cited CDC data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a student at al-Manahel school in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights, December 12, 2021. (JALAA MAREY / AFP via)
“We hope our results will help parents make the decision to vaccinate their children and adolescents against COVID-19,” Randolph said in the statement. “The benefits clearly outweigh the risks, as severe infections in childhood can have long-term consequences.”