Follow us for updates
© 2022 reportr.world
Read the Story →

COVID Vaccines Saved 20 Million Lives in First Year: Study

Vaccines save lives.
by Agence France Presse
Just now
Photo/s: Jerome Ascaño
Shares

COVID-19 vaccines prevented nearly 20 million deaths in the first year after they were introduced, according to the first large modeling study on the topic released Friday.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is based on data from 185 countries and territories collected from Dec. 8, 2020 to Dec. 8, 2021. 

It is the first attempt to estimate the number of deaths prevented directly and indirectly as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations. 

READ: Made by the Devil? That and Many Other Vaccine Myths, Busted

It found that 19.8 million deaths were prevented out of a potential 31.4 million deaths that would have occurred if no vaccines were available.

It was a 63% reduction, the study found.  

The study used official figures -- or estimates when official data was not available -- for deaths from COVID, as well as total excess deaths from each country. 

Excess mortality is the difference between the total number of people who died from all causes and the number of deaths expected based on past data. 

Continue reading below ↓

These analyses were compared with a hypothetical alternative scenario in which no vaccine was administered. 

The model accounted for variation in vaccination rates across countries, as well as differences in vaccine effectiveness based on the types of vaccines known to have been primarily used in each country.  

China was not included in the study because of its large population and strict containment measures, which would have skewed the results, it said.

The study found that high- and middle-income countries accounted for the largest number of deaths averted, 12.2 million out of 19.8 million, reflecting inequalities in access to vaccines worldwide. 

Nearly 600,000 additional deaths could have been prevented if the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of vaccinating 40% of each country's population by the end of 2021 had been met, it concluded.  

"Millions of lives have probably been saved by making vaccines available to people around the world," said lead study author Oliver Watson of Imperial College London. 

Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos

"We could have done more," he said.  

COVID has officially killed more than 6.3 million people globally, according to the WHO. 

But the organization said last month the real number could be as high as 15 million, when all direct and indirect causes are accounted for. 

The figures are extremely sensitive due to how they reflect on the handling of the crisis by authorities around the world.

The virus is on the rise again in some places, including in Europe, which is seeing a warm-weather resurgence blamed in part on Omicron subvariants. 

ALSO READ:

U.S. Approves COVID-19 Vaccines for Youngest Kids

How to Avoid 'Long COVID', According to DOH

Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.

Latest Headlines
Read Next
Recent News
The news. So what? Subscribe to the newsletter that explains what the news means for you.
The email address you entered is invalid.
Thank you for signing up to On Three, reportr's weekly newsletter delivered to your mailbox three times a week. Only the latest, most useful and most insightful reads.
By signing up to reportr.world newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.