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A Review of the Data Supporting Use of COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Pediatric Population
Jeremy S Stultz1,2, Lea S Eiland3
1College of Pharmacy, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
Insights
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for children aged 6 months and older. Benefits of vaccination, including protection against severe illness and multisystem inflammatory syndrome, outweigh rare risks like myocarditis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Vaccinology
- Public health
Background:
- COVID-19 poses risks to children, including severe illness and multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
- Vaccine development and authorization for pediatric populations have progressed rapidly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations in the pediatric population.
- To provide evidence-based information for healthcare professionals and caregivers.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of publications from PubMed/Medline, CDC, and FDA.
- Inclusion of studies on safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in children.
Main Results:
- Monovalent mRNA vaccines and protein subunit adjuvant vaccines are authorized for children.
- Vaccines demonstrate efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19, including mortality, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
- While vaccine efficacy against infection may wane, protection against severe disease persists; bivalent boosters enhance effectiveness.
- Myocarditis/pericarditis is a rare risk, with benefits of vaccination outweighing the risks.
Conclusions:
- Sufficient safety and efficacy data support recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 6 months and older.
- Healthcare professionals, particularly pharmacists, can utilize this information to educate caregivers and administer vaccines.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to review the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations in the pediatric population.
Data Sources:
PubMed/Medline (September 2020 to December 2022), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites.
Study Selection And Data Extraction:
Publications regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations in children were included.
Data Synthesis:
Vaccines authorized for use in children include two monovalent mRNA vaccines (≥6 months old) and one monovalent protein subunit adjuvant vaccine (adolescents only). Omicron-specific mRNA bivalent boosters are authorized for children ≥6 months old. Studies after monovalent vaccine authorization illustrated efficacy in children >5 to 6 years of age, specifically decreased severe COVID-19 (including mortality) and multisystem inflammatory response syndrome occurrence (including during Omicron predominance). Available data for children <5 to 6 years suggests efficacy, although data are limited. Monovalent vaccine efficacy against Omicron infections may wane as early as 2 months, but protection against severe disease complications may last longer, and bivalent Omicron boosters are anticipated to increase effectiveness. Myocarditis/pericarditis is a safety concern associated with the COVID-19 vaccinations but occurs less frequently then COVID-19 complications and thus the benefit outweighs the risks.
Relevance To Patient Care And Clinical Practice:
Caregivers seek information from health care professionals regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. Pharmacists can use the objective information in this review to educate caregivers and effectively administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients.
Conclusions:
There is sufficient and continually growing safety and efficacy data available to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for children ≥6 months of age.
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