Reference:
Hayek, S., Shaham, G., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Kepten, E., Dagan, N., Nevo, D., Lipsitch, M., Reis, B. Y., Balicer, R. D., & Barda, N. (2022). Indirect protection of children from SARS-CoV-2 infection through parental vaccination. Science, 375(6585), 1155–1159. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm3087
Summary:
The article investigates the indirect protection conferred to unvaccinated children against SARS-CoV-2 through parental vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. Analysing data from Israel during two periods dominated by the Alpha and Delta variants, the study reveals that having a single vaccinated parent reduces the risk of infection in children by 26% and 20%, respectively, while two vaccinated parents decrease this risk by 71% and 58%. This highlights the significant protective effect of parental vaccination, emphasising the importance of increasing vaccination rates to safeguard children and curb COVID-19 transmission.