Ogilvie RP, Layton JB, Lloyd PC, Jiao Y, Djibo DA, Wong HL, Gruber JF, Parambi R, Deng J, Miller M, Song J, Weatherby LB, Peetluk L, Lo A, Matuska K, Wernecke M, Bui CL, Clarke TC, Cho S, Bell EJ, Yang G, Amend KL, Forshee RA, Anderson SA, McMahill-Walraven CN, Chillarige Y, Anthony MS, Seeger JD, Shoaibi A. Effectiveness of BNT162b2 COVID-19 primary series vaccination in children aged 5–17 years in the United States: a cohort study. BMC Pediatr. 2024 Apr 26;24(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-04756-5


BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for use in children in the United States; real-world assessment of vaccine effectiveness in children is needed. This study’s objective was to estimate the effectiveness of receiving a complete primary series of monovalent BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccine in US children.

METHODS: This cohort study identified children aged 5–17 years vaccinated with BNT162b2 matched with unvaccinated children. Participants and BNT162b2 vaccinations were identified in Optum and CVS Health insurance administrative claims databases linked with Immunization Information System (IIS) COVID-19 vaccination records from 16 US jurisdictions between December 11, 2020, and May 31, 2022 (end date varied by database and IIS). Vaccinated children were followed from their first BNT162b2 dose and matched to unvaccinated children on calendar date, US county of residence, and demographic and clinical factors. Censoring occurred if vaccinated children failed to receive a timely dose 2 or if unvaccinated children received any dose. Two COVID-19 outcome definitions were evaluated: COVID-19 diagnosis in any medical setting and COVID-19 diagnosis in hospitals/emergency departments (EDs). Propensity score-weighted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with Cox proportional hazards models, and vaccine effectiveness (VE) was estimated as 1 minus HR. VE was estimated overall, within age subgroups, and within variant-specific eras. Sensitivity, negative control, and quantitative bias analyses evaluated various potential biases.

RESULTS: There were 453,655 eligible vaccinated children one-to-one matched to unvaccinated comparators (mean age 12 years; 50% female). COVID-19 hospitalizations/ED visits were rare in children, regardless of vaccination status (Optum, 41.2 per 10,000 person-years; CVS Health, 44.1 per 10,000 person-years). Overall, vaccination was associated with reduced incidence of any medically diagnosed COVID-19 (meta-analyzed VE = 38% [95% CI, 36–40%]) and hospital/ED–diagnosed COVID-19 (meta-analyzed VE = 61% [95% CI, 56–65%]). VE estimates were lowest among children 5–11 years and during the Omicron-variant era.

CONCLUSIONS: Receipt of a complete BNT162b2 vaccine primary series was associated with overall reduced medically diagnosed COVID-19 and hospital/ED–diagnosed COVID-19 in children; observed VE estimates differed by age group and variant era.

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