The corona vaccinations saved more lives than previously thought. This is the conclusion of a new survey by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has now been published in the journal „The Lancet“ appeared.
Corona vaccinations saved the lives of millions of people
According to the report, in Europe alone between December 2020 and March 2023 1.6 million people over 25 years of age have been saved directly by the corona vaccination. The majority of them since Omicron has been on the rise in Europe.
The authors used data primarily from Europe, from a total of 54 countries. In 34 of these countries, the number of deaths was reduced by 59 percent. Of the people saved,
- 96 percent over 60 years old and
- 52 percent over 80 years old.
More lives may have been saved for two reasons
“This impressive figure not only underscores the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing Covid-19-related deaths, but also the central role of organised campaigns in ensuring access to and uptake of vaccines,” said researchers Oliver Watson and Alexandra Hogan of Imperial College London, who were not involved in the study, assessing the data. in an editorial.
And, they even go one step further: They believe that the authors even underestimate the number of lives actually saved – and for two reasons:
1. The herd effect
“This study does not take into account the additional herd effects of Covid-19 vaccination,” they emphasize. These indirectly led to a reduction in transmission at the population level and thus also to a reduction in deaths in the unvaccinated population.
2. Underestimating the cases
Second, the study’s data were based on Covid mortality rates reported by individual countries, and these “are known to underestimate the true burden of Covid-19.”
It is likely that not all Covid deaths are included in the reported data. This may also underestimate the effectiveness of the vaccine in certain regions.
WHO raises alarm over “miserable” vaccination rates
The coronavirus is still rampant. The data now published underscore how important vaccination is. In view of the increasing number of corona infections, the WHO is calling for vaccination campaigns for risk groups. Vaccination rates for older people and health workers have fallen alarmingly and have reached a miserable level, said WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove in Geneva. “We urgently need a turnaround here.”
Who should get vaccinated against Corona now
It is still the case that people who have an increased Risk of severe disease have, a booster vaccination every year in autumn should pick up.
This includes:
- All persons aged 60 and over
- Residents in care facilities and persons with an increased risk of a serious course of illness in rehabilitation facilities
- Persons aged six months and older with an underlying disease that is associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19
- Persons of all ages with an increased work-related risk of infection in medical and/or nursing care with direct contact with patients or residents
- Family members and close contacts aged six months and over of persons who are not expected to have a protective immune response following Covid-19 vaccination
One Basic immunityso at least three contacts with the virus through vaccinations and/or infections should have the following groups:
- All persons aged 18 and over
- People in care facilities and people with an increased risk of a serious course of illness in integration assistance facilities
- Children and adolescents aged six months to 17 years with an underlying disease that is associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19
- Persons of all ages with an increased work-related risk of infection in medical and/or nursing care
- Family members and close contacts aged six months and over of persons who are not expected to have a protective immune response following Covid-19 vaccination
- Women of childbearing age and pregnant women
