A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations among teenagers.

On Tuesday, the CDC released a study that examined 464 patients across 19 pediatric hospitals in 16 states between June and September 2021. It found that the Pfizer vaccine was effective in protecting 91% of teens at the age of 12 to 15 and 94% for those 16 to 18.

The CDC study also highlighted previous findings that those who were unvaccinated suffered the worst effects of COVID-19. Among the patients it examined, it was found that 179 were diagnosed with the virus and 97% of those in this group were unvaccinated.

The pandemic’s impact on the unvaccinated has been thoroughly documented throughout the year, especially as the Delta variant emerged and spread across the country. A previous study showed that the unvaccinated were 10 times more likely to end up in the hospital than those who were fully vaccinated. The dangers of remaining unvaccinated have been a point repeatedly emphasized by public health officials.

This recent finding is particularly relevant for teenagers. Vaccinations became available for those between the ages of 12 and 15 in May under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but teens have the lowest vaccination rates so far. According to the CDC’s data, 45.7% of those aged 12 to 15 remain unvaccinated while those aged 16 to 17 were found to be 53.3% unvaccinated.

Children have been returning to school for in-person instruction after a year of remote learning, a fact health experts warned could lead to a rise in COVID-19 infections. Data compiled by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that there are 6,177,946 total child COVID-19 cases reported to state health authorities, making up 16.4% of total case numbers. This number has gone up by nearly 2 million since August when many schools began reopening their doors for the academic year.

Vaccines against COVID-19 remain unavailable for children younger than 12, but officials predict that this will change in the coming months.

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