CDC: Pediatric COVID vaccines reduce ER trips by 76%
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new data analysis on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in children, finding that they were associated with a reduced risk of an emergency room visit. The new data, taken from a “multisite network including nine states” was captured from August 29, 2024, to September 2, 2025.
In its report released on Dec. 11, the CDC said within the first 6 months after vaccination, children aged 9 months to 4 years are 76% less likely to end up in the ER, or visit urgent care, as a result of symptoms caused by the COVID virus.
The data did show a drop-off as patients aged, with those aged 5-17 years seeing a 56% decrease in unscheduled visits. All the same, the CDC said the findings reinforce its position—put in place in 2024—to recommend that all Americans over the age of 6 months get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The data is based on more than 44,500 patient encounters for the younger pediatric category, and 53,000 for minors aged 5-17. The data is all taken from EHRs as part of the CDC’s VISION Vaccine Effectiveness Network program.
Data made possible by VISION
Established in 2019, VISION is a collaboration between the agency, government research firm Westat and multiple health systems. It aims to measure the safety and effectiveness of vaccines against multiple respiratory illnesses, including COVID and influenza, among others.
Eight health systems are listed as partners on the CDC website, including Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, University of Colorado, the Regenstreif Institute, HealthPartners Institute, Columbia University, Intermountain Health and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.
In total, they bring in recent patient data from California, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
The CDC said this latest data set showed the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness in children, despite low numbers of documented infections and low annual booster rates in young people aged 9 months to 17 years.
Their full study can be found here.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.