“Vaccination against Covid-19 directly saved at least 1,004,927 lives across Europe between December 2020 and March 2023,” write the authors of a study presented last weekend at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Diseases. infectious.
These estimates were presented by the European section of the World Health Organization (WHO). They were carried out with the weekly count of deaths and vaccination figures in 26 countries or regions, reported to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
95% of lives saved correspond to people aged 60 and over
According to their data, vaccination against Covid-19 has mainly benefited older people, who are more prone to severe forms of the disease. 95% of lives saved correspond to people aged 60 and over. And in this group, the first reminder “saved the most lives, accounting for 64% of lives saved.”
The researchers also note that at least 568,064 deaths were prevented during the Omicron wave, “representing a 57% reduction in the number of deaths compared to what would have been expected.”
In November 2021, the WHO had already given figures on this issue, estimating that 470,000 people aged 60 or over had been saved in 33 countries and regions of Europe, thanks to vaccination.
Although the levels of circulation of Covid-19 are currently low, “countries and areas with low vaccination coverage are encouraged to vaccinate their most vulnerable populations against Covid-19,” the researchers emphasize.
Source: BFM TV
