Fully-vaccinated children ages 5-11 who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 reduced the risk of omicron infection by only 31 percent, according to a new study this week by federal health officials.
Those figures were higher among teens, with two doses of the vaccine reducing omicron infection by 59 percent among children ages 12-15, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study began in July of 2021 and tested children in four states, including Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Utah. (Most of the children were in Arizona.) The study included 1,364 participants, mostly ages 5 to 11, plus those 12 to ages 15.
For the 12-15 age group, vaccines provided more protection against the Delta variant, which vaccine effectiveness was 87 percent “against symptomatic and asymptomatic Delta infection,” according to the CDC.
But the CDC highlighted in its “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” on Friday that COVID vaccines continue to prevent severe infection and hospitalizations among children and teenagers.
In children ages 5-11, data show that vaccines are 74 percent effective in preventing hospitalization from COVID-19.
Still, the CDC noted that “COVID-19 vaccination remains a safe and critical tool to protect children and teens regardless of their health status.”
“CDC continues to recommend that all children and teens stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including a booster dose for those who are eligible,” according to the CDC.
Portions of this report first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee.
