COVID-19 hospitalization rates in younger kids twice higher among unvaccinated than vaccinated: CDC

LOS ANGELES, April 19 (Xinhua) -- During the period of Omicron predominance in the United States, COVID-19 associated hospitalization rates in children aged 5 to 11 years were approximately twice as high among unvaccinated as among vaccinated children, a new study of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed.

Non-Hispanic Black children represented the largest group of unvaccinated children, said the study released on Tuesday.

Thirty percent of hospitalized children had no underlying medical conditions, and 19 percent were admitted to an intensive care unit. Children with diabetes and obesity were more likely to experience severe COVID-19, according to the study.

"Increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage among children aged 5 to 11 years, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19, can prevent COVID-19-associated hospitalization and severe outcomes," said the CDC.