2 Doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Helped Protect Children and Adolescents During Delta; Booster Enhanced Effectiveness Against Omicron for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine helped protect 5- to 17-year-olds during the Delta-dominant surge of COVID-19. Vaccine effectiveness decreased during the Omicron predominance and decreased with time after vaccination, though a booster restored protection to 86% among 16- to 17-year-old adolescents. Data were gathered from emergency department and urgent care encounters and hospitalizations across 10 states during April 9, 2021–January 29, 2022. The data come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) VISION VE project, which integrates real-time data from medical, laboratory, pharmacy, and vaccination records to examine medical events, care trajectories, and outcomes associated with COVID-19 illness. Westat supports the clinical sites in this work.

The data have been published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Nonimmunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years — VISION Network, 10 States, April 2021–January 2022. Coauthors included Westat’s Maria Demarco, Ph.D., Elizabeth A. Rowley, Dr.P.H., Sarah E. Reese, Ph.D., Duck-Hye Yang, Ph.D., and Carly Hallowell, M.P.H.

The data indicate that children and adolescents should remain up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, including a booster dose for those aged 12–17 years.