Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness fell quickly for kids during Omicron surge but still offered some protection against severe diseae
CNNCNN — The effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines for children waned quickly during the Omicron surge, especially among children ages 5 to 11, but was still protective against severe disease, according to new data from the New York State Department of Health. “The data are not surprising as the vaccine was developed in response to an earlier COVID-19 variant and reduced effectiveness of 2 doses against the Omicron variant has been seen to some degree with all vaccines and ages,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said in a statement posted online. These data also demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of more severe illness and hospitalization for children 5-11, and I encourage parents and guardians to consult their pediatrician about getting their children vaccinated, and boosted if eligible, as soon as they can.” Children 5 to 11 get a dose of the Pfizer vaccine that is 10 micrograms, one-third the dose given to children 12 to 17. “Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer high levels of protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and deaths in all age groups, despite decreased effectiveness against infection alone during the Omicron wave,” the agency said in a statement.