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Effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Children in the United States - VISION, August 29, 2024-September 2, 2025

Stephanie A Irving et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

During September 2023-August 2024, approximately 38,000 COVID-19-associated hospitalizations occurred among children and adolescents aged <18 years in the United States, a rate of approximately 53 per 100,000 children, ranging from 600 per 100,000 children aged <6 months to 21 per 100,000 children and adolescents aged 5-17 years. On June 27, 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that all persons aged ≥6 months receive a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which targeted Omicron JN.1 and JN.1-derived sublineages. Investigators used a test-negative case-control design to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines against COVID-19-associated emergency department or urgent care (ED/UC) visits during August 29, 2024-September 2, 2025, among immunocompetent children aged 9 months-4 years and children and adolescents aged 5-17 years in the CDC-funded Virtual SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Other respiratory viruses Network (VISION), a multisite electronic health record-based network in nine states. Among children aged 9 months-4 years, VE against COVID-19-associated ED/UC visits was estimated at 76% (95% CI = 58%-87%) during the first 7-179 days after vaccination. Among children and adolescents aged 5-17 years, VE against COVID-19-associated ED/UC visits was an estimated 56% (95% CI = 35%-70%) during the first 7-179 days after vaccination. These findings suggest that vaccination with a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine dose provided children with additional protection against COVID-19-associated ED/UC encounters compared with no 2024-2025 dose.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. Sarah W. Ball reports funding under contract with the University of Utah through her employer (Westat, Inc); funding and drugs were provided by Novavax. Malini B. DeSilva reports support from Minnesota Department of Health through contracts with his institution. Karen B. Jacobson reports research grants unrelated to the present manuscript from American Society of Tropical Medicine and National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Nicola P. Klein reports grant or contract support from Sanofi Pasteur, Merck, Pfizer, Seqirus, GSK, Moderna, Janssen, and AstraZeneca through payments to her institution, unpaid expert panel membership for a planned hepatitis E phase II vaccine clinical trial among pregnant women in Pakistan sponsored by the International Vaccine Institute, and unpaid membership in the Western States COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Safety Subcommittee. Alison L. Naleway reports grant or contract support from the National Institutes of Health. Colin Rogerson reports support from Westat, Inc., through his institution and K01 grant funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Elizabeth A. K. Rowley reports funding under contract with the University of Utah through her employer (Westat, Inc.); funding and drugs were provided by Novavax. Tamara Sheffield reports membership in the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Influenza Vaccine Work Group and serving as chair of the Utah Adult Immunization Coalition. Ashley Stephens reports support from New York State Department of Health and Health Research, Inc., for Cancer Prevention in Action grants to Columbia University for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and sun safety advocacy; receipt of honoraria for educational presentations to the American Cancer Society, Harlem Hospital, and University at Albany – State University of New York, including Grand Rounds on HPV vaccine; receipt of travel expenses from the American Cancer Society to attend the Top 12 State HPV Engagement Summit and the New Jersey HPV Vaccine Provider Summit; and an unpaid advocacy position as co-chair of the New York State HPV Coalition HPV Vaccine Equity Action Team. Melissa S. Stockwell reports receipt of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants on COVID-19 vaccine and subcontract funding on long COVID originating from NIH, receipt of consulting fees from RTI International for administrative functions related to the NIH RECOVER initiative, and a service agreement for her role as associate director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Research in Office Settings. Zachary A. Weber reports receipt of grant or contract funding from Novavax through payments to his employer (Westat, Inc.). Ousseny Zerbo reports receipt of grant or contract funding from NIH, Moderna, and Pfizer for research unrelated to the current manuscript. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

References

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