Study: Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 gives protection to children 5 years and older

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer provided strong protection to children 5 years and older against hospitalization and death even during the rebound caused by the omicron variant, which especially affected children, health authorities reported. United States.

The new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was released a day after a study of children in New York City hinted that the vaccine may not be as effective. among children between the ages of 5 and 11 as well as in older children, especially to block milder infections. Those data raised the question of whether the doses given to those younger than 12 might be too low.

But the CDC said data from several other states suggests the problem is not the age of the children or the size of the dose, but omicron.

In general, vaccination is less effective against the highly contagious omicron variant than in previous coronavirus mutations, and vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years began just weeks before omicron began to circulate.

“As the parent of a very young child, I think I would do anything to keep him out of the ER in the middle of the night,” said CDC epidemiologist Ruth Link-Gelles.

“What we see in the data we have is that the vaccine still provides good protection against more severe conditions.”

Pediatricians say the results may seem confusing, but parents need to understand that vaccinations are still the best way to prevent a more serious infection.

“If you’re vaccinated, you could develop a mild infection and we’re just going to have to learn to live with that,” said Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

He commented that the New York study was too small in sample to draw conclusions and also cannot take into account variables such as infections not being counted in children tested at home rather than at a clinic.

He said that the young people admitted to his hospital with a serious picture of COVID-19 are the unvaccinated “and it is hard to see.”

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