Vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19-related emergency department and urgent care visits for both children and adolescents

The study also found that two doses of an mRNA vaccine provide protection against COVID-19 associated emergency department and urgent care visits as well as very high protection against hospitalization among adolescents aged 12 to 17.

"A positive pattern, similar to what we have reported in adults is emerging," said study co-author Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S., vice president for data and analytics at Regenstrief Institute and professor of family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. "Prevention of emergency department and urgent care visits shows that the vaccines are thwarting moderate COVID-19 in both children and adolescents; prevention of hospitalizations in 12- to-17-year-olds indicates vaccine effectiveness against more serious disease in this age group, which we hope to also see in 5-to-11-year-olds when there is sufficient data.

"We now have compelling evidence that vaccines and, for 16- and 17-year-olds, boosters, provide important protection for both children and adolescents -- data-driven information that parents should take into consideration when making decisions for their family," said Dr. Grannis.

The study was conducted by the CDC's VISION Network which includes, in addition to the Regenstrief Institute (Indiana), Baylor Scott & White Health (Texas), Columbia University Irving Medical Center (New York), HealthPartners (Minnesota and Wisconsin), Intermountain Healthcare (Utah), Kaiser Permanente Northern California (California), Kaiser Permanente Northwest (Oregon and Washington) and University of Colorado (Colorado).

"Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19-associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Non-Immunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5-17 Years -- VISION Network, Ten States, April 2021-January 2022" is published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Regenstrief Institute authors of the study, in addition to Dr. Grannis, are William F. Fadel, PhD and Brian E. Dixon, PhD, MPA, Regenstrief and IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health; Nimish Ramesh Valvi, DrPH, MBBS, a Regenstrief fellow; and Peter J. Embi, M.D., M.S., former Regenstrief president, and a current affiliate scientist.

All authors on this paper are Nicola P. Klein, M.D., Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; Melissa Stockwell, M.D., Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Maria Demarco, PhD, Westat; Manjusha Gaglani, MBBS, Baylor Scott & White Health, Texas A&M University College of Medicine; Anupam B. Kharbanda, M.D., Children's Minnesota; Stephanie A. Irving, MHS, Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest; Suchitra Rao, MBBS, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Shaun J. Grannis, M.D., Center for Biomedical Informatics, Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine; Kristin Dascomb, M.D., Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology, Intermountain Healthcare; Kempapura Murthy, MBBS, Baylor Scott & White Health; Elizabeth A. Rowley, DrPH, Westat; Alexandra F. Dalton, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Malini B. DeSilva, M.D., HealthPartners Institute; Brian E. Dixon, PhD, Center for Biomedical Informatics, Regenstrief Institute, Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University; Karthik Natarajan, PhD, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Edward Stenehjem, M.D., Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology, Intermountain Healthcare; Allison L. Naleway, PhD, Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest; Ned Lewis, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; Toan C. Ong, PhD, Children's Minnesota; Palak Patel, MBBS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Deepika Konatham, Baylor Scott & White Health; Peter J. Embi, M.D., Indiana University School of Medicine, Regenstrief Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Sarah E. Reese, PhD, Westat; Jungmi Han, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Nancy Grisel, MPP, Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology, Intermountain Healthcare; Kristin Goddard, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; Michelle A. Barron, M.D., School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Monica Dickerson, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; I-Chia Liao, MPH, Baylor Scott & White Health; William F. Fadel, PhD, Center for Biomedical Informatics, Regenstrief Institute, Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University; Duck-Hye Yang, PhD, Westat; Julie Arndorfer, MPH, Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology, Intermountain Healthcare; Bruce Fireman, Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; Eric P. Griggs, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Nimish R. Valvi, DrPH, Center for Biomedical Informatics, Regenstrief Institute; Carly Hallowell, MPH, Westat; Ousseny Zerbo, PhD, Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; Sue Reynolds, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Jill Ferdinands, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Mehiret H. Wondimu, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Jeremiah Williams, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Catherine H. Bozio, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Ruth Link-Gelles, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, M.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Stephanie J. Schrag, DPhil, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Mark G. Thompson, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team; Jennifer R. Verani, M.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Response Team.