Oct 19 Reuters - The Pfizer Inc BioNTech SE COVID 19 vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations between those aged 12 to 18, according to an analysis released by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on Tuesday.
The study was conducted between June and September when the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus was predominant.
Yet, the data from 19 pediatric hospitals showed that among the 179 patients hospitalized for COVID - 19, 97% were unvaccinated, providing reassurance of the vaccine's effectiveness.
One in 10 patients hospitalized with severe enough COVID - 19 to need life support, none were vaccinated.
The CDC report builds on trials done by the companies in this age group that showed high immune response against the virus, but didn't wanted to demonstrate efficacy against hospitalization.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is authorized for children as young as 12 and companies seek authorization to be used in children as young as five years.
A panel of experts will weigh in on the data about young children later in this month.
The CDC data reinforces the importance of vaccination to protect U.S. youth against severe COVID - 19, the study authors said.