According to a report released on Tuesday by Pfizer, the COVID-19 vaccine was 73% successful in preventing omicron’s springtime spread among children under the age of five.
After several months of delay, vaccinations for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers became available in the U.S. in June. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, only 6% of children aged 6 months to 4 years had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by mid-August.
Based on a study demonstrating its safety and ability to create significant amounts of virus-fighting antibodies, health officials approved tot-sized vaccine doses produced by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech. However, there was very limited information available regarding how well that applied to COVID-19 symptoms.
The most recent revision examined diagnoses of COVID-19 made between March and June in Pfizer’s ongoing investigation of the three-dose vaccination. In comparison to the 794 children who received three doses of the vaccination, there were just 13 COVID-19 instances among the 351 infants who received fake shots.
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The BA.2 omicron variant that was in use at the time was mostly to blame for the child cases. Many COVID-19 cases in the United States and most of the rest of the world are now caused by another omicron cousin, BA.5.
The COVID-19 vaccinations have been used long enough in older children and adults to demonstrate that they continue to offer excellent protection against serious illness and death even as the coronavirus mutates—while early infection protection dwindles. The initial efficacy rate is still monitored by scientists as additional proof of vaccine performance, and they search for clues as to how they initially fare against new mutations.
Pfizer last week sought American regulators to approve updated vaccine doses for anyone 12 and older receiving boosters this fall that better match the most recent omicron strains. The business claimed to be working on improved vaccines for children under the age of 12.
