US avoided 279,000 deaths with the help of vaccination

Researchers from Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund have published a projection report based on modelling on what would have happened in the US if Covid-19 vaccines were not made available in time.

In the report, it was predicted that in the absence of the Covid-19 vaccine application, there would have been 279,000 extra deaths in the ongoing epidemic in the US and close to 1 million and 250 thousand people would have been hospitalized until the end of June.

“The vaccines have been strikingly successful in reducing the spread of the virus and saving hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States alone,” said Alison Galvani, the lead author of the report.

Yet until a greater majority of Americans are vaccinated, many more people could still die from this virus. The danger is not over. Now is not the time to let down our guard,” Galvani warned against the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The research team examined the pandemic’s trajectory and vaccinations from October 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021.

They also compared health trends with two hypothetical scenarios, first; no vaccination program, second; half as many daily vaccinations were given to Americans.

If half of the current population were vaccinated, there would be more than 120,000 additional deaths and additional hospitalisations from the Covid-19.

It was noted that in the modeling, the researchers took into account factors such as the prevalence and contagiousness of new variants of Covid-19, the effectiveness of vaccines, daily contacts in the infection, and the age-specific risks of serious health consequences due to the epidemic.

In accordance with the report, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients underlined the importance of vaccination.

“Virtually all Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in United States are now occurring among unvaccinated individuals,” Zients said at a press briefing.

As of July 9, the United States has administered more than 332 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine and 67.3 percent of adults have received at least one dose, while 58.5 percent of adult populations have fully vaccinated, according to the US national public health agency CDC data.

On the other hand, Pfizer&BioNTech plan to ask the US and European regulators within weeks to authorize a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.