Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination Against COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, June–September 2021
Authors: Samantha M. Olson, Margaret M. Newhams, Natasha B. Halasa, Ashley M. Price, Julie A. Boom, Leila C. Sahni, Katherine Irby, Tracie C. Walker, Stephanie P. Schwartz, Pia S. Pannaraj, Aline B. Maddux, Tamara T. Bradford, Ryan A. Nofziger, Benjamin J. Boutselis, Melissa L. Cullimore, Elizabeth H. Mack, Jennifer E. Schuster, Shira J. Gertz, Natalie Z. Cvijanovich, Michele Kong, Melissa A. Cameron, Mary A. Staat, Emily R. Levy, Brandon M. Chatani, Kathleen Chiotos, Laura D. Zambrano, Angela P. Campbell, Manish M. Patel, Adrienne G. Randolph, Meghan Murdock, Mary Glas Gaspers, Katri V. Typpo, Connor P. Kelley, Ronald C. Sanders, Masson Yates, Chelsea Smith, Katheryn Crane, Geraldina Lionetti, Juliana Murcia-Montoya, Matt S. Zinter, Denise Villarreal-Chico, Adam L. Skura, Daniel Hakimi, Harvey Peralta, Emily Port, Imogene A. Carson, Justin M. Lockwood, Satoshi Kamidani, Keiko M. Tarquinio, Caitlen E. Taylor, Kelly N. Michelson, Bria M. Coates, Marla S. Johnston, Suden Kucukak, Sabrina R. Chen, Amber O. Orzel, Edie Weller, Laura Berbert, Jie He, Sabrina M. Heidemann, Janet R. Hume, Ellen R. Bruno, Lexie A. Goertzen, Supriya Behl, Noelle M. Drapeau, Shannon M. Hill, Abigail Kietzman, Valerie Rinehart, Lauren A. Hoody, Angelo G. Navas, Paris C. Bennett, Nicole A. Twinem, Merry L. Tomcany, Chelsea C. Rohlfs, Rebecca L. Douglas, Megan M. Bickford, Lauren E. Wakefield, Janet B. Nicotera, Meenakshi Golchha, Jennifer N. Oates
Journal: MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2021)

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use in children and adolescents aged 12-15 years and is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for persons aged ≥16 (1). A randomized placebo-controlled trial demonstrated an efficacy of 100% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 75.3%-100%) in preventing outpatient COVID-19 in persons aged 12-15 years (2); however, data among adolescents on vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 in real-world settings are limited, especially among hospitalized patients. In early September 2021, U.S. pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations reached the highest level during the pandemic (3,4). In a test-negative, case-control study at 19 pediatric hospitals in 16 states during June 1-September 30, 2021, the effectiveness of 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 hospitalization was assessed among children and adolescents aged 12-18 years. Among 464 hospitalized persons aged 12-18 years (179 case-patients and 285 controls), the median age was 15 years, 72% had at least one underlying condition, including obesity, and 68% attended in-person school. Effectiveness of 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 hospitalization was 93% (95% CI = 83%-97%), during the period when B.1.617.2 (Delta) was the predominant variant. This evaluation demonstrated that 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are highly effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalization among persons aged 12-18 years and reinforces the importance of vaccination to protect U.S. youths against severe COVID-19.