by Elana Gotkine

For adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, most reported adverse events following BNT162b2 vaccination are mild and self-limited, according to a study published online April 21 in Pediatrics.

Elizabeth M. Hesse, M.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted descriptive analyses using data from two complementary U.S. vaccine safety monitoring systems: v-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Adverse events were detailed for the first full year of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.

The researchers found that most reported reactions following BNT162b2 vaccination were mild to moderate among the 172,032 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years enrolled in v-safe; reactions were most often reported on the day after vaccination and were more common after dose 2. Overall, 20,240 adverse event reports were received by VAERS, 91.5 percent of which were nonserious. Forty cases of multisystem inflammation syndrome in children were verified (1.2 cases per million vaccinations); of these, 85 percent had evidence of prior severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. There were 570 cases of myocarditis (17.7 cases per million vaccinations); at the time of report, 77 percent reported symptom resolution.

"Our findings provide additional evidence to support the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program in adolescents to prevent COVID-19 and its serious complications," the authors write.

More information: Elisabeth M. Hesse et al, COVID-19 Vaccine Safety First Year Findings in Adolescents, Pediatrics (2023). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-060295

Journal information: Pediatrics 

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