Critical levels of protection against COVID-19 requiring life-support interventions remained high in adolescents vaccinated during both Delta and Omicron stages.
“Our results reassure us that COVID-19 vaccination in eligible children and adolescents continues to protect against the most severe COVID-19-related outcomes, regardless of variable type. how can.“, said study co-author Bria Coates, MD, critical care physician at Chicago’s Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“It is difficult to predict whether the vaccine will be effective against the current sub-variant of Omicron, but it is likely that the level of protection will be similar. Our results reinforce the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster shots for people 12 years of age and older, for protection from critical illness.. “
During the Omicron period (December 19, 2021 – February 17, 2022), vaccination reduced the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalizations by 68% in children 5-11 years of age.
Vaccine efficacy against any type of COVID-19-related hospitalization in adolescents 12-18 years of age receiving the primary series decreased from 92% during the Delta period (July 1, 2021 – 18). December 2021) down to 40% during the Omicron period.
Protection against COVID-19 requiring life support interventions remained high for adolescents during the Delta (96%) and Omicron (79%) period.
Due to the low number of children 5-11 years of age who were hospitalized in the study, the researchers were unable to analyze the vaccine’s effectiveness by disease severity for this age group, but will continue to monitor as This data is collected. Data on this age group were not available for the Delta period, as younger children were not eligible for vaccination at that time.
Protection against hospitalization in adolescents during the Delta period remained consistent for more than 6 months after receiving a primary series of drugs. The level of protection in Omicron, although lower, remained consistent over time after completion of the main series.
“Consistency in vaccine efficacy within each variant suggests that the decline in protection in adolescents between Delta and Omicron stages may be because the Omicron variant is more likely to escape control. of the immune system rather than a decline in immunity since vaccination.“Dr Coates, who is also a Crown Family Research Scholar in Developmental Biology.”However, more data is needed to answer this question. “
The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Source: Medindia
