Impact of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program on Case Incidence, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospital Admissions among Children Aged 5–17 Years during the Delta and Omicron Periods —United States, December 2020 to April 2022

Abstract

Background: In the United States, national ecological studies suggest a positive impact of COVID-19 vaccination coverage on outcomes in adults. However, the national impact of the vaccination program on COVID-19 in children remains unknown. To determine the association of COVID-19 vaccination with U.S. case incidence, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions for pediatric populations during the Delta and Omicron periods. Methods: We conducted an ecological analysis among children aged 5–17 and compared incidence rate ratios (RRs) of COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions by pediatric vaccine coverage, with jurisdictions in the highest vaccine coverage quartile as the reference. Results: RRs comparing states with lowest pediatric vaccination coverage to the highest pediatric vaccination coverage were 2.00 and 0.64 for cases, 2.96 and 1.11 for emergency department visits, and 2.76 and 1.01 for hospital admissions among all children during the Delta and Omicron periods, respectively. During the 3-week peak period of the Omicron wave, only children aged 12–15 and 16–17 years in the states with the lowest versus highest coverage, had a significantly higher rate of emergency department visits (RR=1.39 and RR=1.34, respectively). Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccines were associated with lower case incidence, emergency department visits and hospital admissions among children during the Delta period but the association was weaker during the Omicron period. Pediatric COVID-19 vaccination should be promoted as part of a program to decrease COVID-19 impact among children; however, vaccine effectiveness may be limited when available vaccines do not match circulating viral variants.