CDC Study Shows COVID-19 Vaccines Reduce Emergency Visits in Children by Up to 76% Amid FDA Safety Investigation
Key Insights
COVID-19 vaccines (search) demonstrated 76% effectiveness in reducing emergency room or urgent care visits among children aged nine months to four years, according to new CDC (search) data.
The study analyzed over 44,500 young children and nearly 53,500 children aged 5-17, showing vaccine effectiveness of 56% in the older age group.
These efficacy findings emerge as the FDA investigates alleged deaths in children potentially linked to COVID-19 vaccines (search), though no specific evidence has been provided.
COVID-19 vaccines (search) significantly reduced emergency department and urgent care visits among children, with effectiveness rates reaching 76% in the youngest age groups, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (search) published in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The study analyzed observational data from more than 44,500 children aged nine months through four years, of whom 1,292 were diagnosed with COVID-19 (search) and 43,249 were not. Nearly 1,900 children received the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine formulation. Results demonstrated that vaccination provided 76% effectiveness in reducing disease-associated visits to emergency departments or urgent care facilities from 7 to 179 days after vaccination, compared with unvaccinated children.
Vaccine Effectiveness Across Age Groups
The protective effect remained consistent when extending the analysis window, with vaccine effectiveness reaching 77% when measured from 7 to 299 days post-vaccination in the youngest cohort. However, effectiveness appeared more modest in older children and adolescents.
Among nearly 53,500 children and adolescents aged five through 17 years, the vaccine showed 56% effectiveness in preventing emergency or urgent care visits. In this older group, 2,488 children were immunized with the 2024-2025 formulation and 1,325 contracted COVID-19 (search).
The CDC (search) concluded that these findings suggest the updated vaccines "provided protection against COVID-19 (search)–associated [emergency department/urgent care] visits among children and adolescents."
Hospitalization Data Reveals Disease Burden
The study period, spanning from August 29, 2024, through September 2, 2025, across nine states, revealed significant disease burden among pediatric populations. Approximately 38,000 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 (search) during this timeframe, representing a rate of about 53 per 100,000 children.
The highest hospitalization rates occurred in children younger than six months old, with 600 per 100,000 requiring hospital care. This age group cannot receive direct vaccination, though the CDC (search) noted that vaccination during pregnancy provides some protection during the first six months of life.
Safety Investigation Parallels Efficacy Data
The efficacy findings emerge amid ongoing FDA investigations into alleged vaccine-related deaths in children. Vinay Prasad, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (search), stated in an internal memo that at least 10 children have died "because of" coronavirus vaccines, though he provided no specific data to support this claim.
The deaths were initially flagged by acting Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director Tracy Beth Høeg, who examined reports in the FDA's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). However, the FDA itself acknowledges that VAERS reports "generally cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness," as these safety concerns remain unverified.
Policy Context and Recommendations
The study's publication comes during a period of evolving vaccination recommendations. In June 2024, the CDC (search)'s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (search) recommended COVID-19 (search) vaccination for all people aged six months or older. However, in September 2025, a restructured committee under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revised this guidance, recommending vaccination only in consultation with healthcare providers.
The CDC (search)'s latest findings reinforce that vaccination with the 2024-2025 COVID-19 (search) vaccine dose "provided children with additional protection against COVID-19–associated [emergency department or urgent care] encounters compared with no 2024-2025 dose," according to the report.