Global COVID-19 vaccination in infants and children:Effectiveness, safety, and challenges
Watsamon Jantarabenjakul,1,2,3 Napaporn Chantasrisawad,1,2,3 Rapisa Nantanee,1 Sateesh Ganguli,4 Thanyawee Puthanakit1,2
Affiliations:
1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Center of Excellence for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Department of Pediatrics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
3 Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Clinical Center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
4 National Health Service, England, United Kingdom
Abstract
COVID-19 Vaccines, which include mRNA and inactivated vaccines, have been proven effective and safe for infants and children aged more than six months in reducing the severity of the disease, hospitalization, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and death. Nonetheless, the real-world effectiveness of these vaccines in preventing infection is generally lower than in clinical trials due to the emergence of variants of concern, especially the Omicron strains. Despite the availability of vaccines for children, their uptake remains low globally, particularly among parents who are hesitant to vaccinate their children. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy from clinical trials and the current COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for infants and children aged 6 months to < 12 years for 2023-2024, discuss the progress made in vaccine implementation and real-world effectiveness, and address the knowledge gap and future directions.
Key words: COVID-19 vaccines, SARS-CoV-2, infants, children, pediatrics