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Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is far less effective for younger children than for teens and adults, according to a new study.
New York state health officials found that the two-dose jab offers minimal protection against infection for kids aged 5 to 11 about a month after full vaccination.
“In the Omicron era, the effectiveness against cases of [the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine] declined rapidly for children, particularly those 5-11 years,” the authors of the study wrote.
The Pfizer shot is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently approved by the feds for kids ages 5 to 11.
Still, the study — undertaken at the height of the Omicron variant surge in December and January — found that the vaccines did offer significant protection against severe illness.
“Vaccination of children 5-11 years was protective against severe disease and is recommended,” the authors said.
But the report also suggested that dosing regimens for kids be reconsidered in light of the underwhelming results.
Younger children currently get one third of the Pfizer dose administered to older adolescents and adults.
Researchers pored through 865,000 coronavirus cases for kids ages 5 to 11 and 365,000 case for those ages 12 to 17.
For the younger group, infection protection plunged from 68 percent to 12 percent one month after full vaccination.
For those ages 12 to 17, the drop went from 66 percent to 51 percent, according to the study.
Hospitalization protection for the younger group dipped from 100 to 48 percent one month after vaccination, compared to a 85 to 73 percent decrease for the 12 to 17 age group.
The study comes just days after the New York City Department of Education reported that only 52 percent of kids in the nation’s largest school system were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have suggested that they would support a vaccine mandate for all city students at some point.
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