A child in the hospital.Photo: Getty
Unvaccinated kids aged 5 to 11 years old were more than twice as likelyto end up in the hospital with COVID-19during the omicron surge than vaccinated kids,according to a new reportfrom the Centers for Disease Control.
Since last November whenPfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in 5 to 11 year olds, the majority of hospitalizations — 9 in 10 — were in kids who were unvaccinated, the CDC reported.
Looking at 400 kids hospitalized across 10 states during the omicron surge, the CDC found that 87% were unvaccinated.
About a third of the hospitalized kids had no preexisting conditions before getting COVID-19. Around two in ten had to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
The study “reinforces the importance of increasing vaccination coverage” in the age group, the CDC says. As of April 19, just a small portion — 28.2% — of 5 to 11 year olds are fully vaccinated,according to CDC data.
The study also showed significant racial disparities in who is getting vaccinated, with Black children accounting for about a third of unvaccinated children and making up a third of all COVID-related hospitalizations in the age group.
RELATED VIDEO: Here are Some Myth-Busting Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines
Similar to adults, omicron appeared to create a milder illness in children than the delta variant. But because omicron was so contagious and few children were vaccinated against COVID-19, pediatric hospitalizations hit record numbers during the omicron surge, andin early January more than 4,000 kids were hospitalized in the U.S.
The best protection against COVID-19 remains vaccination, and the CDC reiterated that any parents who have not yet gotten their kids vaccinated should do so immediately.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.
source: people.com
