Covid-19 vaccines prevented over 42 lakh fatalities in 2021: Report

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• Jun 24, 2022 | Dhupali Das

The study also discovered that, depending on how the pandemic developed, the vaccine's effects fluctuated over time in various parts of the world.

Digital Desk: Covid-19 vaccines are considered to have prevented more than 42 lakh deaths in India in 2021, claimed a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Reportedly, the findings in the study estimated the number of "excess" deaths in the nation during the pandemic.  

The study was conducted between December 8, 2020, and December 8, 2021. "We calculate that vaccination prevented 42,10,000 deaths in India throughout this time. This is our primary estimate, and the range of its uncertainty is 36,65,000–43,70,000," said Oliver Watson, the study's head author from Imperial College London.

In addition, Watson said that the study revealed an "amazing" effect that the immunisation had in India, as it was the first nation to face the t the effects of the Delta version. According to the study's principal author, there were roughly ten times as many COVID-19-related deaths in India as was reported by the government. 5,24,941 COVID-19 deaths have been registered in India so far, as per the Indian government.

Nearly 20 million lives have been saved since the global covid-19 vaccination programme began one year ago. The report is based on information gathered from 185 nations. However, 12.2 million of the 19.8 million fatalities that were prevented were from high- and middle-income countries. The results demonstrated how vaccines are distributed unevenly over the world.

As per the study, an additional 600,000 lives could have been saved if the World Health Organization (WHO) had immunised 40% of the population in each country with two or more doses by the end of 2021.

The study also discovered that, depending on how the pandemic developed, the vaccine's effects fluctuated over time in various parts of the world.