COVID-19 vaccination reduces risk for ED visit, hospitalization by 40% among children

ByRose Weldon

Fact checked byCarol L. DiBerardino, MLA, ELS

Key takeaways:

A U.S. study found that two doses of COVID-19 vaccine prevented hospitalization and ED visits among children.
The results of a Dutch study showed that protection from natural infection reduced rates of MIS-C.

Children who received two or more doses of COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccine were 40% less likely to be hospitalized or visit an ED due to the disease, according to findings published in MMWR.

Researchers collected data via the New Vaccine Surveillance Network on 7,434 children aged 6 months to 4 years who were hospitalized or went to the ED with acute respiratory illness to track trends in COVID-19 illness and vaccine effectiveness in children.

Child being vaccinated 5 (Adobe Stock) — COVID-19 vaccination lowers the risk for severe COVID-19, another study has found. *Image: Adobe Stock*

From July 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 86% of children included in the study had not received any COVID-19 vaccine doses, whereas 3.8% had received one dose and 10.4% had received 2 or more doses, according to the study. Among the entire cohort, only 5% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers ultimately found that vaccination with two or more doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was 40% (95% CI, 8%-60%) effective in preventing COVID-19-associated ED visits and hospitalization in children aged 6 months to 4 years.

The researchers further reported COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness to be consistent with other vaccines for this young age group, although low rates of both vaccination and medically-attended COVID-19 limited precision in these estimates.

“The findings in this report support the recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination for all children aged [at least] 6 months and highlight the importance of completion of a primary series for young children,” the authors wrote.

In a separate Dutch study published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, researchers found that that natural immunity provides protection from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a condition related to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study included 564 children admitted to hospitals in the Netherlands, Curaçao and Surinam: 375 with acute COVID-19 and 189 with MIS-C. Among the patients with COVID-19, 36% needed supplemental oxygen therapy and 9.3% required intensive care treatment. Predictors for severe COVID-19 cases, they noted, included an age above 12 years and pre-existing pulmonary conditions.

The incidence rate of MIS-C was highest during the delta wave and has decreased rapidly since the emergence of the omicron variant, the researchers noted.

“Our data supports the notion that similar to adults, prior immunity protects against severe sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children,” the authors wrote. “Real-time reporting of accurate and high-quality data is feasible and impacts clinical and public health decision-making. The reporting framework of our consortium is readily accessible for future SARS-CoV-2 waves and other emerging infections.”