Pfizer shots protect kids from severe COVID even in omicron

Mar 02, 20220

Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press count

A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 - 11, right, and a vial of the vaccine for adults, which have different colored labels, at a vaccination station in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine gave children 5 and older strong protection against hospitalization and death even during the omicron surge that hit youngsters especially hard, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention come a day after a study of New York children suggested the vaccine may not be as effective in 5- to 11-year-olds as in older kids -- especially at blocking milder infections. That data raised the question of whether kid-sized doses given to those under 12 might be too low.

But the CDC said data from multiple other states suggests the issue isn't children's ages or dose size - it's omicron. Vaccination generally is less effective against the hugely contagious omicron variant than earlier versions of the coronavirus - and vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds began just weeks before omicron began circulating.

https://www.startribune.com/pfizer-shots-protect-kids-from-severe-covid-even-in-omicron/600151762/