This case-control study estimates the effectiveness of prior SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 or BA.2 infection and booster vaccination against Omicron BA.5 subvariant infection.

This cohort study examines data for all children aged 5 to 11 years in South Korea to gauge the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine when the Omicron variant was the dominant SARS-CoV-2 infection in the country.

This cohort study estimates the effectiveness associated with the BNT162b2 vaccine against infection and critical infection of SARS-CoV-2 among adolescents in South Korea.

In this case series study, inapparent infections in children may have been associated with silent COVID-19 transmission in the community. Heightened surveillance using laboratory screening will allow detection in children with unrecognized SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This case-control study estimates the effectiveness of prior SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 or BA.2 infection and booster vaccination against Omicron BA.5 subvariant infection.

This cohort study examines data for all children aged 5 to 11 years in South Korea to gauge the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine when the Omicron variant was the dominant SARS-CoV-2 infection in the country.

This cohort study estimates the effectiveness associated with the BNT162b2 vaccine against infection and critical infection of SARS-CoV-2 among adolescents in South Korea.

In this case series study, inapparent infections in children may have been associated with silent COVID-19 transmission in the community. Heightened surveillance using laboratory screening will allow detection in children with unrecognized SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Dr Shin reported receiving grants from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Health and welfare, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and Government-wide R&D Fund for infectious disease research; grants from pharmaceutical companies including Amgen, Pfizer, Hoffmann-La Roche, Dong-A ST, Yungjin outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

We used the OMOP-CDM to identify risk factors for severe RSV infection requiring ICU admission in children. We found that young age, low gestational age, and low birth weight were associated with increased odds of ICU admission. Further research is needed to validate our findings and to examine other potential risk factors for severe RSV infection.

Pneumococcal disease poses a substantial clinical and economic burden, especially among children under 5 years old. The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was first introduced in South Korea's Childhood Immunization Program in 2014. In October 2023, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the use of a 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15) in infants, children, adolescents, and adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost savings of routine vaccination with PCV15 versus PCV13 in a pediatric population in South Korea. A Markov model was adapted to estimate costs and health outcomes from a societal perspective over a 100-year time horizon. The model estimated the impact of PCV15 versus PCV13 on pneumococcal disease incidence, post-meningitis sequalae, and deaths. The effectiveness of PCV15 was extrapolated from PCV13 data. Herd immunity effects were applied. Costs and epidemiological data were obtained from published literature and the National Health Information Database. Costs were reported in 2023 Korean Won (₩) with USD ($) equivalents. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated. The model assumed a discount rate of 4.5%. PCV15 was projected to provide a total savings of ₩36,213,756 [$27,751] with a gain of 2 QALYs versus PCV13. Under the model assumptions, switching from PCV13 to PCV15 is a cost-saving option for South Korea's routine pediatric pneumococcal vaccination program.

High-level construal messages are more effective than low-level messages in shaping public perceptions and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Policymakers and health authorities should incorporate high-level construal elements into communication strategies to build trust and support for vaccination programs.