Estimated number of deaths prevented directly as a result of COVID-19 vaccination Background
Since the emergence and subsequent spread of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020, more than 2 million coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases have occurred.
Laboratory-confirmed deaths have been officially recorded at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Countries in the region have introduced COVID-19 vaccine programs to protect vulnerable groups from severe diseases with various waves of variants of concern (VOC).
Here, we estimate how many lives have been saved by vaccinating adults through March 2023 in the WHO European Region (which includes all countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area).
Methods
Weekly counts of deaths and vaccination doses by age group (25 to 49 years, 50 to 59 years and ≥60 years) as reported by 26 countries or areas to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) was used between the weeks 50/2020 and 12/2023.
Vaccine efficacy was considered in the context of each VOC dominant period. We calculate the number of lives saved by vaccination dose, VOC period, age group and country or area.
Results
COVID-19 vaccines have directly saved at least 1,004,927 lives between week 50/2020 and 12/2023, with the majority (95%) in those over 60 years of age. Among this age group, the first booster saved the most lives, accounting for 64% of the lives saved.
Overall, across all age groups and countries or areas, vaccination was estimated to have saved the greatest number of lives during the Omicron wave: at least 568,064 deaths were prevented, representing a 57% reduction in the number of deaths from what might have been expected.
Conclusions
As the 2022/23 winter season draws to a close and levels of SARS-CoV-2 in circulation are expected to decline, countries and areas with low vaccination coverage are encouraged to vaccinate their most vulnerable populations. against COVID-19.
Comments
New research shows that 96% of all lives saved were in adults aged 60 and older.
Vaccination against COVID-19 directly saved at least 1,004,927 lives across Europe between December 2020 and March 2023, according to new research presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). in Copenhagen, Denmark (April 15-18).
The new estimates from WHO/Europe and presented at the conference by Dr. Margaux Meslé, WHO/Europe epidemiologist, highlight the striking impact of COVID-19 vaccination programs and also underline the urgent need for Countries with low vaccination coverage fully vaccinate their older adults. .
Since the emergence and subsequent spread of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020, WHO/Europe has officially recorded more than 2 million laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
Countries in the WHO European Region (which includes all countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area) have introduced COVID-19 vaccination programs to protect vulnerable groups from severe illness with multiple waves of variants of concern (VOC).
The authors used deaths and vaccination doses reported weekly by 26 countries and areas to WHO/Europe and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control between December 2020 and March 2023, to calculate the number of lives saved by vaccination. vaccination dose, VOC period, age group. (25 to 49 years, 50 to 59 years and 60 years or older) and country.
Vaccine effectiveness was considered in the context of each VOC dominant period . The new estimates suggest that the majority (96%) of the lives saved were of people aged 60 or older. In this older age group, the first booster saved the most lives, accounting for almost two-thirds (64%) of the lives saved.
Overall, across all age groups and countries, vaccines are estimated to have saved the most lives during the Omicron wave, with at least 568,064 deaths prevented. This represents more than half (57%) of the lives saved.
This research did not consider indirect effects of vaccines, different healthcare capacities between countries, and non-pharmaceutical interventions.
“We see from our research the large number of lives saved by COVID-19 vaccines across Europe during the pandemic. However, too many people in vulnerable groups across the WHO European Region remain unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. We urge people who are eligible and have not yet received the vaccine to do so," says Dr Richard Pebody, Head of the WHO/Europe High Threat Pathogens Team.
