Topline
Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine reduced risk of infection by the omicron variant 31% among children 5-11 and 59% among children 12-15, according to a study of 1,364 children published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine to a … [+]
Key Facts
Fully vaccinated children age 5-15 who developed symptomatic omicron infections spent an average of 1.4 days sick in bed, compared to 1.9 days sick in bed among unvaccinated children, the study found.
Though Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved for use among children 5 and up since 2021, its effectiveness at preventing omicron infection has been difficult to estimate because infected children often show only mild symptoms, said Abt Associates health researcher Dr. Lauren Olsho, principal investigator for the study.
Among unvaccinated children who tested positive for Covid, 66% of those with delta variant infections reported symptoms, compared to 49% of those with omicron infections.
Running from July 25-February 12, the study monitored 1,052 children 5-11 and 312 children 12-15 who were tested weekly for Covid regardless of symptoms, and was part of the larger Pediatric Research Observing Trends and Exposures in COVID-19 Timelines (PROTECT) study monitoring kids aged 6 months to 17 years in Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah.
While the study published Friday monitored both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, previous research has relied mainly on data from symptomatic Covid patients who sought medical care, providing an incomplete picture, especially as at-home Covid testing becomes more popular, researchers said.
Pfizer’s headquarters in New York City, as seen on January 26, 2009.
Key Background
The study published Friday supplemented previous findings that Pfizer’s vaccine is effective at preventing delta variant infection among children age 12 and over, researchers said. The broader PROTECT study is one of the largest studies including weekly Covid testing regardless of symptoms, and provides a detailed picture of how vaccination status, socio-demographic characteristics, mask use, location and other variables affect infection risk, the CDC said. Though children generally experience milder omicron symptoms than adults, children were four times more likely to be hospitalized due to Covid during the omicron surge than when delta was the dominant variant, according to a February 15 report by the CDC. The greatest spike in omicron-associated pediatric hospitalizations was observed among children age 5 and under, who are not yet eligible for vaccination, the CDC said. The results of the study published Friday reinforce the importance of keeping children up-to-date on CDC-recommended vaccinations, researchers said.
Contra
Vaccinated children who caught omicron missed an average of 26.2 hours of school, compared to 18.8 hours among unvaccinated children, the study published Friday found. Vaccination also did not significantly reduce medical care-seeking—15.5% of vaccinated participants who caught omicron sought care, compared to 16.4% of unvaccinated participants.
Further Reading
“Children Were Nearly Four Times As Likely To Be Hospitalized With Covid-19 During Omicron Wave Compared To Delta” (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/03/11/pfizers-covid-vaccine-effective-in-preventing-kids-from-catching-omicron-study-finds/