Covid-19 vaccination substantially lowered risks for children last season, CDC report says
Children vaccinated against Covid-19 last season had a “significantly lower risk” of going to the emergency room and urgent care visits related to the virus. report It was released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vaccines were about 76% effective in preventing these outcomes in healthy children ages 9 months to 4 years, and about 56% effective in children ages 5 to 17, compared with those who did not receive an updated vaccine for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season, according to the CDC report.
The federal analysis was based on data from nearly 98,000 children who encountered health care at one of nearly 250 different emergency rooms and urgent care centers between late August 2024 and early September 2025. research collaboration The results of children who received the updated vaccine for the 2024-2025 respiratory virus were compared with children who did not receive the latest vaccine but may have received the previous series.
“In a population where some individuals had prior levels of protection from prior vaccination, prior infection, or both, the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine provided children with additional protection against COVID-19-associated (emergency department and urgent care) encounters compared to no 2024-2025 vaccine,” researchers wrote.
Covid-19 vaccine was recommended for all people aged 6 months and over during the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season. These recommendations were adopted by the CDC following votes by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, a panel of independent vaccine advisors.
However, ACIP was overhauled this year; All previous members were removed and replaced by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A group of people specially selected by was brought in.
Now, available CDC recommendations The agency says Covid-19 vaccination for children ages 6 months to 17 years should be “based on shared clinical decision-making.”
Taking a break from the latest CDC recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics I clearly recommend Covid-19 vaccines for young children.
“The impact of a shift from universal to shared clinical decision-making (also known as individual-based decision-making) on COVID-19 vaccine coverage or effectiveness in children is unclear, highlighting the importance of continued monitoring of COVID-19 (vaccine effectiveness),” CDC researchers wrote in the new report.
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