Vaccination saved 20 million lives in the first year of Corona

DAccording to a current model, the corona vaccinations prevented almost 20 million Covid 19 deaths worldwide in their first year. That would be the number of those without vaccinations expected deaths have been more than halved, researchers at London’s Imperial College write in an article published this week in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

For the first year of immunizations, which began on December 8, 2020, the scientists analyzed the vaccinations administered in 185 countries and regions and correlated them with the deaths recorded in each. Where these were not reliably counted, they used excess mortality data and estimates. Therefore, they come to a higher possible death toll than that World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, they not only looked at the deaths avoided through direct vaccinations, but also calculated that fewer people were infected in the vicinity of vaccinated people.

Vaccination rate significantly lower in the Global South

According to the mathematical models, without vaccinations, 31.4 million deaths would be related to the disease Coronavirus been to be expected. 19.8 million of them were avoided by vaccination – 12.2 million of them in high- and middle-income countries. This shows the unfair distribution of the vaccines, according to the study. In many countries of the Global South, vaccination rates are still significantly lower than in Europe, for example.

Another almost 600,000 deaths could have been prevented if the World Health Organization’s goal of vaccinating 40 percent of the world’s population against Corona by the end of 2021 had been achieved. However, this was clearly missed.

Our results show that millions of lives have been saved by making vaccines available regardless of individual wealth,” said lead author of the study, Oliver Watson of Imperial College London. “More could have been done, however.” Would the goal be the WHO been achieved, around one in five corona deaths in poorer countries could have been prevented, according to the researcher.