From early December to the end of February, thousands of deaths were avoided among the elderly because they were prioritized for jabs, PHE said.
The spread of the UK vaccine prevented at least 6,100 deaths from early December to late February – a time when older people were getting priority for the jobs, according to a new study by Public Health England (PHE).
PHE said on Friday it estimated that from December 8 – when the UK began major inoculations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – to the end of February, some 5,900 deaths among people aged 80 and over were prevented older, and 200 in those aged 70 to 79.
“This new analysis measures how many lives they saved in the first few months of the vaccination program, and with each additional day there are and will be more people saved,” said Dr Mary Ramsay. , head of PHE vaccine.
However, she said: “While vaccines have a dramatic effect on mortality, we still do not know how these vaccines reduce the risk of passing on COVID-19 to others. Even if you have been vaccinated, it is very important that you continue to work like a virus, practice good hand hygiene and stay at home. ”
The UK has been hit hard by the virus, recording more than 125,000 deaths – one of the worst taxes in the world.
“The true value of these vaccines could also be in terms of future preventable deaths, should COVID-19 be revived in the UK,” said PHE.
As older people are most at risk from the virus, along with people with pre-existing conditions, “the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccination program has focused specifically on an age-based strategy to prevent to the greatest loss of life ”.
The UK inclusion program was highly commended.
With around 29 million people, or almost half of the country’s adult population, receiving the first dose to date, the UK has one of the fastest immunization rates in the world.