A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be 93 percent effective in protecting 12- to 18-year-olds against hospitalization, writes Robert Towey for NBC10.

From June through September, the CDC followed 464 COVID-19 patients in this age range, spread across 19 pediatric hospitals. While at least 72 percent of them had an underlying condition that increased their chances of severe symptoms, the study found that 97 percent of those who ended up in the hospital had not been vaccinated.

“These data suggest that increasing vaccination coverage among this group could reduce the incidence of severe COVID-19 in the United States,” wrote CDC researchers in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Among the patients, six were vaccinated and 173 were unvaccinated. Around 43 percent required intensive care, while another 16 percent had to be put on life support. There were two deaths in the group.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for anyone over 16 on August 23. The vaccine is currently on emergency use status for children 12 to 15, pending further review.

Read more about the study at NBC10.