Alexandra Ferguson
(CNN) – More teens have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the past two weeks, accounting for about a fifth of all new vaccinations in the United States, data suggests. Public health experts see the rise in vaccines as a good thing, but the cause may be bleak.
The rise in COVID-19 vaccinations among teens parallels the rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, mostly driven by the delta variant, leading some experts to speculate that parents who Before they were hesitant to vaccinate their children, they reconsidered their decision after seeing younger people get sick.
Over the summer, the COVID-19 case rate among teens nearly quintupled. In June, there were 3.4 cases per 100,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, which practically tripled to about 9 cases per 100,000 adolescents in July and up to 14.6 cases per 100,000 adolescents in August, according to data from the Centers. Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), last updated Monday.
At the same time, that age group accounted for 30.9% of people who received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine in June, and increased to 38.9% in July and 44.9% in August. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 make up only 5% of the general population.
The percentage of fully vaccinated 12-15 year olds also increased, from 21.5% in June to 28.7% in July and 32.2% in August.
Among older teens, ages 16-17, the average number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people rose from 4.27 in June to 11.37 in July and 17.28 per 100,000 in August, data shows from the CDC, until Monday.
Covid-19 cases in children have risen steadily since early July, says the American Academy of Pediatrics
At the same time, that age group accounted for 43.5% of people who received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine in June, and increased to 49.7% in July and 54.2% in August. The percentage of fully vaccinated people belonging to this age group went from 34.6% in June to 40.1% in July and 42.7% in August.
This means that there are still millions of teens going back to school this month without being vaccinated, but they are a shrinking group of the roughly 25 million young people ages 12 to 17 in the United States.
Overall, about 8 million, or 32% of all teens ages 12 to 17, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“They realize that it is necessary to protect them”
Ishaan Mishra, 13, remembers being one of the first American teens to queue at a local San Francisco Walgreens to get the vaccine in May. That month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for adolescents up to 12 years of age.
“We got it relatively early when it was released and there were definitely some other teenagers, so there were people over 12 there waiting in line, and overall I was definitely excited,” Ishaan told CNN on Tuesday, recalling the moment.
“It helped my friends feel more secure interacting with me,” she said of vaccination. “It allowed me to see them more.”
Now, several months later, Ishaan will start 8th grade on Sept. 1, and he said that many of his classmates continue to have positive opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
“They realize that it is necessary to protect them,” Ishaan commented.
Covid-19 cases in children are constantly increasing. With the opening of schools that could get worse, warns an expert
He and some of his friends are concerned about possible post-vaccination infections due to the delta variant, he added. But being fully vaccinated, Ishaan knows that the vaccine offers protection against severe disease should a post-vaccination infection occur.
“I think it’s very important to get vaccinated before the school year starts,” Ishaan said. “There is always the possibility of contracting covid-19 and you want to protect yourself as much as possible.”
When Ishaan got vaccinated in May, it was his mother, Dr. Monica Gandhi, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, who brought him to Walgreens for his first dose.
Before taking Ishaan back to the pharmacy for his second dose, Gandhi said he first waited until the ACIP meeting on June 23 to learn the results of the data reporting cases of myocarditis in young men who had received the vaccine.
A CDC report shows that 90% of the adverse effects of vaccines in adolescents are not serious
The ACIP is CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines.
Vaccines for 12-15-year-olds began to increase slightly after May 10, when the FDA cleared the two-dose Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for that age group. In less than a week, 600,000 children in that group were vaccinated, according to CDC data.
But the numbers fell sharply on May 23, the day after articles appeared in the media about the possible link between the vaccine and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, in young people. Most cases of myocarditis were mild and usually resolved quickly.
In June, the FDA added a warning about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, inflammation of the tissue around the heart, to the datasheets for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The CDC data showing myocarditis cases to be mild was reassuring, Gandhi said, and so he brought Ishaan to his second dose in June, about six weeks after the first.
“We had a good experience,” he said, adding that Ishaan experienced only “mild side effects such as fatigue, arm pain and mild fever after the second injection.”
What is driving the increase in vaccination?
Although vaccinations among adolescents plummeted following reports of myocarditis, data suggests that vaccinations are on the rise again.
“In my opinion, and from what I have seen among my adolescent patients, many are eager to get vaccinated now because they understand the urgency to do so before the school year begins,” said Dr. Priya Soni, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“This reasoning, combined with the understanding that the delta variant is propelling this pandemic into another wave, they are now more willing than ever to trust what science has taught us time and again: vaccines work,” Soni explained. “Ultimately, by weighing the pros and cons of starting the school year without COVID-19 protection, many teens and parents are taking the step that prepares them to have the best chance of a successful and healthy school year.” .
About 1 million teens ages 12 to 17 have so far received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past two weeks, representing about 19% of all people in the United States. who have received at least one dose recently, according to CDC data.
“It is difficult to know what is driving the increase in vaccinations, but it is probably related to the recognition among young people that the highly communicable delta variant is driving another significant upturn, especially among younger individuals who are less likely to get vaccinated, ”Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, chief of the division of infectious diseases in the Stanford Medicine Department of Pediatrics and chair of the committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics, wrote in an email to CNN on Monday.
A CDC report shows that 90% of the adverse effects of vaccines in adolescents are not serious
Maldonado called the recent increase in vaccination against covid-19 among adolescents “promising.”
“It is always encouraging to see that populations are seeking the benefits of safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19, as well as against other infectious diseases. Although we still have a way to go to increase our vaccination numbers, this is a promising trend, “said Maldonado.
“I believe that the long-awaited reopening of the schools is a factor that is encouraging families to vaccinate all their eligible members,” he said. “However, there is no evidence that the opening of schools is driving new infections of covid-19. These are a reflection of the highly communicable infections that occur among unvaccinated adults in community settings ”.
The recent surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus, appears to be driving vaccination in younger people, Gandhi said.
“Yes, I think that as a result of the delta variant and the growing concern for the safety of children, especially with the reopening of schools, this willingness of parents to vaccinate their children or adolescents is being promoted. themselves, ”said Gandhi, who is also director of the UCSF AIDS Research Center.
“I think this is very encouraging, as the group that lagged the furthest behind in vaccination was the youngest individuals, including adolescents,” Gandhi said. “The delta variant has made the youngest get vaccinated more urgently and I think it is encouraging to see that 20% of those who completed the vaccination in the last 14 days are adolescents.”
Ishaan, Gandhi’s 13-year-old son, hopes that more people in his age group who have not yet been vaccinated will soon.
“This is the most effective way to stop the pandemic, because masks work, but they can’t protect you from everything,” Ishaan said.
“The vaccine is usually 94% effective,” he explained. “So it’s definitely one of the best options you can have to try to protect yourself and the community from COVID-19.”
The-CNN-Wire
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