The COVID-19 vaccination policy among children ages 6 months to 4 years was incredibly low in the 6 months after FDA approval last June, according to CDC data.
By the end of 2022, only 10. 1% of young people in this age organization had received at least one dose of the mRNA vaccine from Moderna or Pfizer, and only 5. 1% had finished their number one series of two or three doses, reported Bhavini Patel Murthy, MD, of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in Atlanta. and colleagues on the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Coverage with at least one dose in this organization “is slower than that of older children,” Murthy and colleagues wrote, noting rates of 24. 0 percent in children ages five to 11 and 33. 3 percent in teens ages 12 to 15 in just two months after FDA approvals for those organizations.
At one point MMWR, CDC researchers led by Katherine Fleming-Dutra, MD, also of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, detailed actual coverage of mRNA vaccines in children ages 3 to 5, which showed vaccine effectiveness of 31 to 60% (EV) within four months of vaccination.
“Children are keeping up with recommended COVID-19 vaccines, and completing series one; those who are eligible get one dose of the bivalent vaccine,” Fleming-Dutra and colleagues wrote.
Immunization policy for children
For COVID vaccination policy in children older than 6 months to 4 years, Murthy and colleagues assessed vaccine management knowledge for the United States, examining the timing of their authorization for this organization from June 17, 2022 to December 31, 2022. During this period, a total of 1,755,596 young people in this age organization had gained at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
By state or jurisdiction, policy with at least one lower dose in Mississippi (2. 1%), Louisiana (2. 6%) and Alabama (3. 1%), while the highest in Massachusetts (21. 6%), Vermont (31. 7%) and the United States. District of Columbia (36. 1%). County-level knowledge showed that policy with one or more doses decreases in rural counties (3. 4%) than in urban counties (10. 5%).
“The low policy to date in children older than 6 months to four years is concerning and may involve demanding situations for long-term immunization policy, especially since bivalent booster doses are now also allowed for this pediatric population,” Murthy and colleagues wrote.
The researchers also reported disparities in policies based on race and ethnicity within this age group, with higher percentages of white and Asian youth vaccinated with at least one dose relative to their percentage of the population, and lower percentages of black and Hispanic youth vaccinated relative to their percentage of the population:
Limitations of the studies included the fact that registries might not have been connected if young people had gained the first and subsequent doses at other vaccination sites, for example, a pharmacy rather than a mass vaccination site, which would possibly have other vaccination strategies. Archival knowledge. Other limitations included the fact that knowledge about race and ethnicity was not available for 30% of young people.
Real-world effectiveness in children 3 to 5 years of age
To assess the real-world coverage provided through mRNA vaccines in young children, Fleming-Dutra and colleagues turned to data from the Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program, which provides COVID testing to others age 3 and older at pharmacies and networks. Test sites across the country. The knowledge spans from early July 2022 to early February 2023 and includes children ages 3 to 5 for the Moderna vaccine and 3-4 years for the Pfizer vaccine.
For the Moderna vaccine, the EV of two monovalent doses (a whole series number one) versus symptomatic infection 60% (95% CI 49-68) within 2 weeks to 2 months after the current dose and 36% (95% CI 15-52) within 3 to 4 months after the current dose.
The effects were known from clinical trials that led to the approval of the Moderna vaccine in this younger group, which showed vaccine efficacy of 50. 6% (95% CI 21. 4-68. 6) for other people older than 6 to 23 months and 36. 8% (95% CI 12. 5-54. 0) for children older than 2 to 5 years.
For the Pfizer vaccine, the Fleming-Dutra organization reported a 31% VE (95% CI 7-49) versus symptomatic infection with 3 monovalent doses (a number one whole series) between 2 weeks and four months after the 3rd dose. Insufficient strength statistics to estimate LV stratified over time since receipt of the third dose.
In comparison, clinical trial data of the Pfizer vaccine in children older than 6 months to 4 years showed vaccine efficacy of 73. 2% (95% CI 43. 8-87. 6) against symptomatic COVID after receiving a third dose, effects based on a small number of cases.
Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as a corporate and research writer in January 2021. He has covered the healthcare sector in New York, life sciences and legal affairs, among other areas.
Authors of CDC studies on vaccine policies and vaccine effectiveness reported no conflicts of interest.