Highlights
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In this study, we analyzed the clinical efficacy of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines among Italian children aged 5 to 11 years, using data published by the National Institute of Health. Vaccination status was associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, which were 41% (odds ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]. %, 0.46-0.77) and 68% (odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.04-2.63), respectively, lower in children who completed the vaccination cycle <120 days than in the matched unvaccinated population.
In a recent study, Husin and colleagues emphasized the considerable efficacy of the mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine BNT162b2 against the risk of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. severe in adolescents (Husin et al. al., 2022).
Since not only limiting the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection but also preventing the risk of developing serious complications of COVID-19 is imperative in childhood, this study investigated the actual effectiveness of vaccination against COVID-19 among Italian children.
The source of our analysis was the official data of the Italian Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità; ISS) (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 2022). The official bulletin of the ISS (last update, April 27, 2022) contains periodically updated data at the national level on vaccine coverage, infections related to COVID-19, hospitalizations, admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) and deaths registered during the previous month at different ages, including the range 5 to 11 years, stratified by vaccination status.
Data were analyzed with MedCalc Version 20.015 (MedCalc Software Ltd., Ostend, Belgium). The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, under the terms of relevant local legislation. This research was based on publicly available data; therefore, Ethics Committee approval was unnecessary.
The results of our analysis of the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in Italian children are shown in Table 1.
Overall, at the time of our analysis, the total number of children aged 5 to 11 years who were not yet vaccinated was 229,1598, and the number who received one of the two mRNA-based vaccines (either BNT162b2 or mRNA- 1273, relative proportions are not specified) was 1,204,468.
We found that vaccination status was associated with a reduced risk of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and ICU admissions , which were 41% and 68%, respectively, lower in children who completed the vaccination course within 120 days than in the unvaccinated.
In conclusion , the results of our analysis complement those that emerged from the study by Husin and colleagues (Husin et al., 2022). Data from the ongoing Italian national COVID-19 vaccination campaign reveals that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are effective in significantly reducing the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization among children, and also shows a notable trend toward reducing the likelihood of developing severe illness or critical illness that ultimately requires ICU admission.
