Nearly half million lives in European region saved by COVID vaccinations in less than 1 year: WHO

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) – A new study estimates that COVID-19 vaccinating in 33 countries across the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region has saved 470,000 lives among those aged 60 and over, the WHO said Friday.

The study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was published in ECDC's publication Eurosurveillance.

This estimate does not include lives saved by vaccinating people under 60 nor lives saved from the indirect effect of vaccination because of a reduction in transmission.

“COVID-19 has exacted a devastating death toll in our region, but we can now categorically say that without COVID-19 vaccines as a tool to contain this pandemic, many more people would have died,” said Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe.

He said the COVID-19 vaccines “are a marvel of modern science,” and the research shows they are doing what they promised, “that is saving lives.”

They offer “very high protection against severe illness and death,” Kluge noted.

The WHO regional chief said the death toll would have doubled without the vaccines in some countries.

“It is therefore critically important that all Member States in the European Region achieve high coverage for people in the at-risk groups as soon as possible,” he added.

Countries with lower vaccination uptake rates need to prioritize those at the highest risk and protect vulnerable groups as rapidly as possible.

“But vaccines must be accompanied by a range of preventive measures to keep transmission levels low and keep society open,” Kluge stressed.

Since December 2019, the 53 European Region countries have recorded more than 1.5 million COVID-19 confirmed fatalities, with 90.2% among those aged 60 and higher.

WHO said the rapid development and administration of COVID-19 vaccines had provided much-needed protection from the severe disease and the death of millions of the most vulnerable.