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HealthDay News — BNT162b2 protects children and adolescents against mild-to-moderate and severe COVID-19, according to a study published online April 7 in Pediatrics.
Nicola P. Klein, MD, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, and colleagues assessed BNT162b2 vaccine effectiveness against mild-to-moderate and severe COVID-19 in children and adolescents through the omicron BA.4/BA.5 period. The analysis included 9800 emergency department/urgent care cases with 70,232 controls and 305 hospitalized cases with 2612 controls.
The researchers found that during the delta variant phase, two-dose vaccine effectiveness against emergency/urgent encounters at 12 to 15 years was initially 93%, but waned to 77% after 150 days or greater. For individuals aged 16 to 17 years, vaccine effectiveness was initially 93% but waned to 72% after 150 days or greater. During the omicron variant phase, vaccine effectiveness for those aged 12 to 15 years was initially 64%, waning to 13% after 150 days or greater, and was 31%% for those aged 16 to 17 years, waning to 7%. A monovalent booster increased vaccine effectiveness to 54 and 46% for the 2 age groups, respectively. For children aged 5 to 11 years, two-dose vaccine effectiveness was initially 49%, with waning to 41% after 150 days.
“Children and adolescents should receive all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations,” the authors write.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
