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- Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has showed limited effectiveness at preventing infection in children aged five to 11, New York state revealed Monday
- After 28 to 34 days, the shot was only 12% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection
- There was a major difference found between 11- and 12-year-olds – the cut off for a lower vaccine dosage – implying the low dosages do not work
- Many have speculated that the COVID-19 vaccines are not needed in children because of the little risk they face from the virus
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has done little to protect inoculated five- to 11- year-olds from infection, data revealed by New York state officials on Monday shows.
Researchers at the New York State Department Health gauged infection rates of minors who have had the Pfizer jab made available to them. Children were split into two age groups, one of children five to 11 and the other for children 12 to 17.
They found that the two-dose Pfizer shot was only 12 percent effective at preventing infection in the younger age group only one month after receival.
The findings have far reaching implications on the use of the vaccines, and whether parents will want to get their children jabbed.
Children do not suffer much of a risk from the virus, with hospitalizations and deaths being especially rare.
The main argument in favor of vaccinating them is to prevent them from spreading the virus, though these findings imply that the vaccine does little to prevent that anyways.
In cities like New York, children as young as five years old were made to show proof of vaccine to enter indoor dining, fitness and entertainments establishments. Children also had to be vaccinated to take part in some school activities.
This likely influenced some parents’ decisions regarding the vaccine – as uptake for the shots has been relatively low in younger age groups – and now official data is coming from the state showing that the shot did little to protect the children from infection.
Some parents also had significant fears about potential side-effects of the vaccine, and took a risk to give their child the shot, only to now find out it potentially is not as effective as advertised.
New York State officials revealed Monday that children aged five to 11 years old that receive the COVID-19 vaccine only have their risk of infection dropped by 12%. Pictured: A young child in France receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine
‘I think we need to rethink this whole program of vaccinated adolescents and children. What is our objective?’ Dr Cody Meissner, the chief of pediatrics at Tufts Children’s Hospital in Boston and a member of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, told DailyMail.com
Meissner has been a critic of the idea that all children need to be vaccinated, since the face little risk from the virus itselt while also suffering a risk of some serious side-effects like myocarditis.
New York researchers gathered data 852,384 children aged 12 to 17 and 365,502 aged five to 11 for the study.
The study, which is pre-print and pending peer-review, gathered data from the Omicron period of the pandemic, from December 2021 and January 2022.
Participants in the study were followed up with and compared to general figures from unvaccinated populations.
One major difference between the study groups is the dosage of the vaccine. While children aged 12 and older receive a 30 microgram shot, it is only ten micrograms for the five to 11 age group.
Researchers found that 28 to 34 days after receiving the second dose – about one month – vaccine effectiveness in the younger age group had waned from 67 percent to 11 percent against the variant.
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