BNT162b2 Effectively Prevents Pediatric COVID-19 Hospitalization

FRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For children and adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (BNT162b2) are highly effective for preventing COVID-19 hospitalization, according to research published in the Oct. 22 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Samantha M. Olson, M.P.H., from the CDC COVID-19 Response Team, and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 hospitalization among children aged 12 to 18 years in a case-control study conducted at 19 pediatric hospitals in 16 states during June 1 to Sept. 30, 2021.

The researchers reported 464 hospitalized persons aged 12 to 18 years (179 case patients and 285 controls), of whom 72 percent had at least one underlying condition, including obesity, and 68 percent had attended in-person school. During the period when B.1.617.2 (delta) was the predominant variant, the effectiveness of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 93 percent against COVID-19 hospitalization.

“These data suggest that increasing vaccination coverage among this group could reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 in the United States. Further, as in-person school attendance increases, multicomponent preventive measures to reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 among adolescents, including vaccination, are imperative,” the authors write.

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