Only 5% of children under 5 years have gotten a full COVID-19 vaccine primary series, and rates are especially low among Black and Hispanic children.
The low uptake comes despite this age group experiencing more than 3 million infections and more than 500 associated deaths, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Meanwhile, new data confirm the vaccines provide protection against symptomatic infections among young children for several months. The findings were part of three new studies on COVID vaccine uptake and effectiveness published on February 17, 2023 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and you can read more online about the findings from the American Academy of Pediatrics.