The number of unvaccinated children admitted to hospitals between the ages of 5 and 11 was twice as high as those vaccinated against Covid-19 during the outbreak of coronavirus triggered by the appearance of the Omicron variant, according to a new US study published today.
For every 100,000 unvaccinated children in this age group, 19.1% had to be treated for Covid-19 between mid-December and late February, compared with 9.2% of those vaccinated for the same reason. the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The researchers looked at about 400 children admitted to hospitals in 14 US states during that time.
It was found that among the 397 children treated with Covid-19 when the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was predominant, 87% had not been vaccinated, 1/3 had no underlying disease, and 19% had been admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).
The highly contagious Omicron variant, which launched coronavirus infections to record levels in the United States in January, has led to an increase in juvenile hospitalizations with Covid-19, raising concerns about the impact of the disease on unvaccinated children.
The US health authorities approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 for children aged 5-11 last October, before the outbreak of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Only 28% of children in this age group – about 8 million – have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
The study also found that the peak of hospital admissions for children aged 5-11 was higher during the Omicron wave than when Delta was the predominant variant.
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