Topline
Nearly 240,000 deaths resulting from Covid-19 since June 2021 could have been avoided with “timely” vaccinations, new research from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows, as the U.S. approaches a million deaths from coronavirus infections.
A member of staff holds a vial of a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
Key Facts
The Foundation found that 60% of all adult Covid-19 deaths since June could have been prevented with “primary series” vaccination, two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The portion of the U.S. population that is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is currently 66%, while 77%of the total population has received at least one dose, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 990,00 people in the U.S. have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.
The organization— which used CDC data on deaths by vaccination status for 25 jurisdictions —estimated a total of 270,000 unvaccinated adults died from Covid-19 from June 2021 to March 2022, comprising roughly 70 percent of all adult coronavirus deaths during that time.
The study excluded children from its analysis because vaccines have not been available to all of them, who the Foundation noted made up less than 1% of all coronavirus deaths.
Crucial Quote
“While currently available vaccines are substantially less effective in preventing infection with Omicron compared with earlier variants, they continue to offer significant protection against hospitalization and death, particularly for people receiving a booster dose,” the study concluded.
Big Number
Nearly 42,000. That’s how many adult Covid-19 deaths could have been prevented in September 2021 alone, the highest out of all the months from June to March of this year, according to the analysis.
Key Background
The new research from the Family Foundation comes as Covid-19 infections caused by the highly transmissible BA.2 Omicron variant continue to rise in several states across the country, though experts have said the new strain is not more likely to cause severe disease. The report also follows a decision from the Biden administration in March to authorize a second round of booster shots for adults 50 years and older. The CDC estimated in February and March that unvaccinated people were 20 times more likely to die from Covid-19 than those who were vaccinated and had one booster dose, the organization noted in its report. The Kaiser Family Foundation also found that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections have accounted for a larger percentage of all Covid-19 deaths in recent months, as the Omicron strain has proven more effective at evading vaccine protection. Moderna earlier this week released data showing that a new version of its Covid-19 vaccine produced a stronger immune response against Omicron and other major virus variants, while saying it hoped to offer updated boosters in the fall. But current vaccines continue to offer “tremendous protection” from death, even more so with recommended booster shots, according to the Family Foundation.
Further Reading
Moderna says updated vaccine may better protect against omicron (PBS)
FDA Authorizes Second Covid Booster For Americans 50 And Older (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/04/21/nearly-240000-covid-19-deaths-could-have-been-prevented-with-vaccines-study-finds/