Study finds Covid vaccines reduce children’s ER visits by 76 percent
A report published by the CDC confirms the effectiveness of Covid vaccines in preventing severe disease in children

A child picks up a Band-Aid as he prepares to get his COVID vaccination in San Jose, California, in 2022.
Jan Tisca/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images
Covid vaccines reduced the risk of emergency room or urgent care visits by 76 percent in children ages nine months to four years and by 56 percent in children ages five to 17, compared to children who did not receive the vaccine, according to a study in the weekly report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Findings, published in the agency Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Confirm the effectiveness of vaccines in keeping children out of the hospital, regardless of whether they have been previously infected with COVID or vaccinated against the disease.
In June 2024, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that everyone six months of age or older receive a COVID vaccine. In September 2025, in a move with which many experts disagreed, a new ACIP was selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Revised your recommendationPeople six months of age and older have been urged to get vaccinated only in consultation with a health care provider.
On supporting science journalism
If you enjoyed this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism Subscribing By purchasing a subscription, you are helping ensure a future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The new study looked at the period from August 29, 2024 to September 2, 2025 in nine states. During that time, about 38,000 children were hospitalized with COVID — a rate of about 53 per 100,000. The highest rates were in children under six months of age, of whom 600 per 100,000 were hospitalized. Babies under six months of age are too young to be vaccinated, but vaccination during pregnancy provides some protection for the first six months.
“These findings suggest that vaccinating children with the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine doses provides additional protection against COVID-19-related (emergency department or urgent care) encounters in children compared with the 2024-2025 doses,” the report said.
These findings stand in stark contrast to recent statements made by Kennedy, who has denounced the COVID vaccine without any evidence.The deadliest vaccine ever.A recently leaked memo from a Food and Drug Administration official linked the deaths of 10 children to Covid vaccines without providing evidence. The agency now reportedly Expanding your investigation to adult deaths,
many studies We have found that COVID vaccines are safe and effective, saving millions of lives around the world.
It’s time to stand up for science
If you enjoyed this article, I would like to ask for your support. scientific American He has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most important moment in that two-century history.
i have been one scientific American I’ve been a member since I was 12, and it’s helped shape the way I see the world. Science Always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does the same for you.
if you agree scientific AmericanYou help ensure that our coverage focuses on meaningful research and discovery; We have the resources to report on decisions that put laboratories across America at risk; And that we support both emerging and working scientists at a time when the value of science is too often recognised.
In return, you get the news you need, Captivating podcasts, great infographics, Don’t miss the newsletter, be sure to watch the video, Challenging games, and the best writing and reporting from the world of science. you can even Gift a membership to someone.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in that mission.
