Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccine in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Sabu, Jewel Maria, Zahid, Izza, Jacob, Namitha, Alele, Faith O., and Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S. (2022) Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccine in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Vaccines, 10 (11).
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Abstract
Efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic have expanded to the vaccination of children and adolescents. This systematic review assesses the utility of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine in children and adolescents aged 5–18 years, considering its effectiveness against COVID infection, hospital and intensive care admission and duration of effectiveness after vaccination. Six databases were searched following the PRISMA guidelines. Pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using meta-analysis. Fifteen studies were included in the systematic review, while 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Evidence suggests that the two-dose vaccination regime provided high effectiveness of 92% (95% CI, 86–96) against COVID infection. Vaccination also conferred high protection against hospitalisation (91%) and intensive care admission (85%). The vaccine was highly protective against the Delta variant of the virus, but showed a lower protection against the Omicron variant. Most adverse effects were transient and mild, commonly including pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache. Current findings are suggestive of waning immunity over time; however, further research is needed to investigate the relevance of booster doses in this age group. In summary, the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine demonstrated high levels of protection against COVID-19 infection and its complications while maintaining an adequate safety profile in children and adolescents.
| Item ID: | 77046 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2076-393X |
| Copyright Information: | Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Dec 2022 00:34 |
| FoR Codes: | 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4202 Epidemiology > 420202 Disease surveillance @ 50% 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4203 Health services and systems > 420317 Patient safety @ 50% |
| SEO Codes: | 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200404 Disease distribution and transmission (incl. surveillance and response) @ 50% 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200102 Efficacy of medications @ 50% |
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