The case for vaccinating children has been strengthened by a study that found that vaccines reduced the risk of Covid infection in 5- to 11-year-olds by nearly two-thirds.
The risk of hospitalization dropped by 90 percent – while there were no known deaths among the 273,157 vaccinated children who took part in the study.
However, immunity to Covid waned quite quickly — though it held up well for protection against hospitalization — reinforcing the case for a follow-up booster, the study researchers argued.
Scientists at the University of North Carolina found that two doses of the vaccine one month after the first injection gave 63.2 percent protection against infection – with the injections typically given 3 weeks apart, a shorter interval than in the UK for children.
However, that protection wore off quite quickly, dropping to 15.5 percent after 16 weeks, according to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Our findings make a compelling case for vaccinating this age group,” Professor Dan-Yu Lin . said i.
“But protection against vaccination and previous infection declined rapidly after 4 to 6 months, so boosters should be considered,” he said.
This is the most comprehensive study of vaccine efficacy in that age group to date and the first study of its effects after three months.
It examined the effectiveness of Pfizer’s original BNT162b2 vaccine rather than the latest vaccine, which has been modified for Omicron, although it is still unclear how much more effective it is against Omicron than the previous injection.
The new study also found that in previously infected children, vaccine effectiveness reached 69.6 percent four weeks after the first dose and fell to 22.4 percent.
And it turned out that BNT162b2 was less effective against Omicron than against previous variants. It was nearly 80 percent effective against Delta, compared to 63 percent for Omicron.
“The vaccine is more effective against hospitalization than against infection. Boosting will reduce the risk of transmission, infection and hospitalization,” said Professor Lin.
“Both the BNT162b2 vaccine and the prior infection were shown to provide significant immunity against omicron infection and protection against hospitalization and death. The rapid decline in protection against omicron infection conferred by vaccination and prior infection provides support for booster vaccination,” he added.
Experts not involved in the study said it strengthened the argument for vaccinating young children — a topic that is controversial and many argue that the injections are stressful for children, parents and teachers, with relatively little risk of developing a serious problem. developing disease compared to older age groups.
This helps explain why only 11 per cent of 5 to 11 year olds in England have had one shot – and 5 per cent have had two – while at least 50 per cent of those aged 12 and over, rising to almost 100 per cent of 55-year-olds. seniors, according to the NS.
The NHS started vaccinating the most vulnerable 5 to 11-year-olds in January and offered the injections to the rest of that age group from April – usually about eight weeks apart for those who have had two doses.
Steve Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, said: “This study definitely supports the case that we should vaccinate children.”
Simon Williams, from the University of Swansea, added: “This study suggests that vaccines are effective for children aged 5 to 11. As infections increase in school age, there is a good chance that we will again see some illness, school absenteeism and for a small number of children, hospitalisation, which could have been prevented with earlier and clearer childhood vaccines in the UK.
“In the UK, vaccination coverage in 5-11 year olds was extremely low – much lower than vaccine use for this age group in countries such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
“There are a number of reasons why the uptake in this age group is low. Our research found that there is great hesitation among parents of children in this age group, even among those who have been vaccinated themselves. This has not been helped by inconsistent government messages and policies in the UK, which has been slower than many other countries to offer the vaccine and remove it more quickly.”