COVID-19 vaccine reduces emergency attendance, hospitalization in youths

Vaccination with BNT162b2 against SARS-CoV-2 infections has helped reduce accident and emergency (A&E) attendance and hospitalization among adolescents and children, reports a study.

This observational study using OpenSAFELY-TPP included adolescents aged 12‒15 years and children aged 5‒11 years. The investigators compared participants receiving the first vaccination with unvaccinated controls and those receiving the second vaccination with single-vaccinated controls. They also matched vaccinated individuals with controls based on age, sex, and other relevant characteristics.

The following outcomes were assessed: positive SARS-CoV-2 test (adolescents only), COVID-19 A&E attendance, COVID-19 hospitalization, COVID-19 critical care admission, and COVID-19 death. Other outcomes included safety, A&E attendance, unplanned hospitalization, pericarditis, and myocarditis.

At 20 weeks, the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) comparing vaccination with no vaccination in 820,926 previously unvaccinated adolescents were 0.74 for positive SARS-CoV-2 test, 0.60 for COVID-19 A&E attendance, and 0.58 for COVID-19 hospitalization.

Among 441,858 adolescents with first vaccination, the IRRs comparing second dose with single vaccination were 0.67 for positive SARS-CoV-2 test, 1.00 for COVID-19 A&E attendance, and 0.60 for COVID-19 hospitalization.

Notably, outcomes related to COVID-19 were “too rare” to allow the accurate estimation of IRRs in both children groups.

No COVID-19‒related deaths occurred across all analyses, and fewer than seven critical care admissions were reported. Myocarditis and pericarditis occurred only in the vaccinated groups, with rates of 27 and 10 cases/million following the first and second doses, respectively.

“BNT162b2 vaccination in adolescents reduced COVID-19 A&E attendance and hospitalization, although these outcomes were rare,” the investigators said. “Protection against positive SARS-CoV-2 tests was transient.”