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News18
21 hours ago
- Health
- News18
How Many Lives Did Covid-19 Vaccines Save? New Global Study Reveals The Numbers
Last Updated: According to the research, 82% of the lives saved involved individuals who had received the vaccine before being infected by the coronavirus A new international study has revealed that Covid-19 vaccines saved more than 25 lakh lives between 2020 and 2024, highlighting the profound global impact of mass immunisation efforts during the pandemic. The study, published in the JAMA Health Forum, was jointly conducted by researchers from Universita Cattolica in Italy and Stanford University in the US. It estimates that around 25.33 lakh lives were spared due to vaccination, with one death averted for every 5,400 doses administered. Covid-19 first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and swept across the globe within months, triggering unprecedented health, economic, and social crises. In response, scientists raced to develop vaccines, and by the end of 2020, several versions were rolled out worldwide. Billions received two primary doses, with many also taking booster shots. While questions were occasionally raised about the vaccine's long-term effects, particularly concerning heart-related issues, health experts repeatedly dismissed such claims, maintaining that the benefits far outweighed any rare side effects. The new study offers quantitative backing to those assertions. Elderly Benefited Most The researchers found the vaccine's impact was most significant among those aged 60 and above. In this age group, the vaccine prevented 90% of potential deaths. Of the estimated 1.48 crore life-years saved globally, 76% were among the elderly. Moreover, 82% of the lives saved involved individuals who had received the vaccine before being infected by the virus. The protection was particularly evident during the Omicron wave, a highly infectious phase of the pandemic that alone accounted for 57% of the prevented deaths. Limited Impact on Children and Youth In contrast, the benefit of vaccination among children and young adults was marginal, largely due to their lower baseline risk of death from Covid-19. For individuals aged 0 to 19, the number of lives saved was just 0.01%, while life-years saved stood at 0.1%. For those aged 20 to 29, deaths prevented amounted to 0.07%, with 0.3% life-years gained. Global Data, Comprehensive Scope The study was led by Professor Stefania Boccia from Universita Cattolica, in collaboration with Dr Angelo Maria Pezzullo and Dr Antonio Christiano, both affiliated with Stanford University under a European research initiative. Their analysis drew on global data concerning Covid-19 infections, mortality, and vaccine distribution. Using statistical modelling, the team estimated how many more people might have died in a scenario without vaccines. What sets this study apart is its scale and scope. It is the first global research effort covering the full timeline of the pandemic – from the early days in 2020 through to 2024. It not only compares outcomes among vaccinated and unvaccinated populations but also measures the difference in impact across different virus variants, especially before and after Omicron emerged. Beyond deaths prevented, the research also sheds light on the concept of 'life-years saved", a measure that considers not just whether a life was saved, but how many more years that person might live. This adds further depth to understanding the vaccine's role in mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic's toll. view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 15:03 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Over 25 lakh deaths averted worldwide due to COVID-19 vaccinations, study estimates
New Delhi: COVID-19 vaccines helped prevent more than 25 lakh deaths across the world between 2020 and 2024 -- for every 5,400 doses administered, one death was averted, estimates a study. Findings published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum "clearly demonstrate a major overall benefit from COVID-19 vaccination during the years 2020-2024", with 90 per cent of the life-saving benefits secured for the world's older adults. Researchers from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, and US' Stanford University analysed publicly available data on worldwide population to estimate number of people who died due to COVID-19 and whether they died before or after getting vaccinated. "We compared this data with the estimated data modelled in the absence of COVID-19 vaccination and were then able to calculate the numbers of people who were saved by COVID-19 vaccines and the years of life gained as a result of them," author Angelo Maria Pezzullo, researcher in general and applied hygiene, Catholic University of Milan, said. The team also found that the 82 per cent of the lives saved by vaccines involved people getting the shots before encountering the virus, 57 per cent during the Omicron period, and 90 per cent of the lives saved involved people aged 60 years and older. COVID-19 vaccinations also helped save 14.8 million years of life -- a year of life saved for every 900 vaccine shots administered, the researchers said. Further, about three-quarters of the years of life saved were related to people aged 60 and above. "Before ours, several studies tried to estimate lives saved by vaccines with different models and in different periods or parts of the world," author Stefania Boccia, professor of general and applied hygiene at the Catholic University of Milan, said. However, "this one is the most comprehensive because it is based on worldwide data, it also covers the Omicron period, it also calculates the number of years of life that was saved, and it is based on fewer assumptions about the pandemic trend," Boccia said. The authors wrote, "In the main analysis, more than 2.5 million deaths were averted (one death averted per 5,400 vaccine doses administered). Eighty-two percent were among people vaccinated before any infection, 57 per cent were during the Omicron period, and 90 per cent pertained to people 60 years or older." In an invited commentary article, published in JAMA Health Forum, Monica Gandhi from the University of California San Francisco's Center for AIDS Research writes, "Vaccines save lives and the only way to get through this pandemic was always immunity; it is much safer to provide immunity to an older person through a vaccine than through natural infection." Gandhi added that in the prospect of a future pandemic, models such as the one used and presented in the study could help mitigate the damage caused by widely restrictive policies, yet allow protection for those needing it the most.
