Omicron Was More Severe in Unvaccinated Children 5-11 Years Old

Unvaccinated children ages 5 to 11 are hospitalized with Covid at twice the rate of vaccinated children during the winter months, according to the Omicron variant surge, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. reported on Tuesday.

The study was: last to show He said that although the vaccines have lost some of their effectiveness in stopping infections from the Omicron variant, the vaccines have helped keep children out of the hospital with Covid.

But based on data from hospitals serving nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population in 14 states, the CDC report offered some of the strongest evidence to date that racial differences in childhood immunizations could further expose Black children to serious illness from Covid.

Black children ages 5 to 11 make up nearly a third of the unvaccinated children in the study, the largest of any racial group, and account for roughly a third of COVID-related hospitalizations in the age group.

predictions from 2020 Based on census data, it shows that black children make up about 14 percent of U.S. residents ages 5 to 11. However, it is unclear whether the areas covered in the CDC study represent the country’s population, making it difficult to precisely measure any inequality.

“Increasing vaccine coverage among children, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups disproportionately affected by Covid-19, is critical to preventing COVID-19-related hospitalizations and serious consequences,” said the CDC study.

The agency did not report nationwide data on the race or ethnicity of vaccinated children, making it difficult for researchers to examine gaps in protection.

Seven states and Washington, DC report race data for vaccinated children ages 5 to 11. Analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found this month. Asian children tended to have the highest vaccination rates, according to the analysis, and Hispanic children were vaccinated at similar or lower rates than white children.

Among all U.S. residents, Blacks are less likely to be vaccinated than whites, although the gap has narrowed further during the vaccination campaign.

Children are protected in far less numbers: only about one-third of children aged 5 to 11 have at least one dose of vaccine, the lowest proportion of any age group. And the pace of vaccines in this age group has slowed significantly in recent weeks.

The CDC study covered the period from mid-December to the end of February, when around 400 children were hospitalized with Covid at select hospitals participating in the study. About 90 percent of them were unvaccinated. Roughly one-third of the children had no underlying medical condition, and one-fifth were admitted to the intensive care unit, the report said.

The CDC said three-quarters of children who test positive for the virus before or during their hospitalization are admitted primarily for Covid, rather than for other illnesses.

The agency said Omicron caused less serious illness in children than the Delta variant as it did in adults, but Omicron was so contagious that it infected so many children that they were hospitalized at higher rates during the Omicron surge.

Infected children are much less likely to become seriously ill than adults. However, children are generally slightly less protected from the virus than adults, as the youngest children (under 5 years) are not yet eligible for vaccination, and because older children are vaccinated at much lower rates.