COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots go a long way toward keeping children ages 5 to 11 suffering from respiratory illness out of emergency departments and urgent care centers, according to a new study. Researchers with Kaiser Permanente Southern California measured the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was approved for use in this age group in October 2021 by the Food and Drug Administration.
The study was funded by Pfizer. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, found that two doses of the vaccine were 85% effective at preventing emergency department or urgent care visits associated with the delta variant in kids aged 5 to 11. Against the omicron variant, the vaccines were 60% effective at preventing visits, through effectiveness decreased to about 30% within three months.
A booster shot, though, did as its name suggests and boosted protection against omicron-related ER or urgent care visits by 80% in the first two months after the shot, the study found. However, a vaccine or booster for COVID-19 or any other condition only works for individuals who get it, and uptake for COVID boosters has been an ongoing problem.
Editor’s Note: Pharmaceutical companies who fund their own studies present a conflict of interest. — mmd