Photo: Jackyenjoyphotography / Moment / Getty Images
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that COVID vaccines continue to protect healthy children from severe illness. Released on Thursday (December 11), the study shows that from late August 2024 to early September 2025, the vaccines reduced the risk of Covid-related emergency room and urgent care visits by 76% among children aged nine months to four years, and by 56% among children aged five to 17 years.
The study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, analyzed data from approximately 98,000 emergency room and urgent care visits across nine states. It focused on the additional protection provided by the 2024-2025 COVID vaccines, considering children with varying levels of immunity from previous vaccinations or infections.
Despite the study's results, the CDC's vaccine policy has shifted under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., moving from universal recommendations to a shared clinical decision-making approach between families and healthcare providers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend COVID-19 shots for young children, emphasizing the vaccines' role in preventing severe outcomes from the virus.
The study underscores the importance of continued monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, especially as the CDC navigates changes in vaccine policy.