COVID vaccines saved over 1.4 million lives in Europe, WHO study finds

COVID-19 vaccines have saved 1.4 million lives in Europe, a new study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) released on Tuesday (16 January) showed. 

Figures revealed by the WHO show that COVID-19 vaccines have reduced deaths by at least 57%, which represents more than 1.4 million lives saved in the WHO European Region, according to the study.

“We have constantly stressed the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines, particularly for older people and the most vulnerable. This study documents the result of countries implementing that advice. The evidence is irrefutable”, Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Europe director told a press conference on Tuesday. 

The study also found that without the vaccination, around four million people would have died from the coronavirus. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Europe has seen more than 277 million confirmed cases and more over 2.5 million recorded deaths. 

“Today, there are more than 1.4 million people in our region – most of them elderly – enjoying life with their loved ones because they took the vital decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19. […] This is the power of vaccines,” Kluge emphasised.  

EU countries should prepare for seasonal respiratory diseases – health agencies

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) recommend targeting people at risk in vaccination campaigns against respiratory viruses as the cold season is starting. 

Vaccinating people at risks

The vaccination campaigns in EU countries first targeted at-risk groups such as pregnant women, people with a weak immune system, and the elderly.

There has been a  57% reduction in mortality among 70–79-year-olds and a 54% decrease in deaths among those aged 60-69. Mortality was 52% lower in the 50 to 59 age group, the report found. 

The age group which benefited the most from vaccination was the over-80s, where mortality was reduced overall by 62%. 

Even for the younger population, aged 25 to 49, the vaccines saved lives: A second vaccine dose resulted in a 48% reduction in mortality, though the uptake of vaccines for the second and third boosters was just 5% in this group. 

“In other words: even in this group, without vaccination, the number of deaths would have been almost double,” the study found. 

There are some disparities in the number of deaths among EU countries and according to WHO experts, this is closely related to the vaccination timing and the importance of the coverage among the population. 

“Countries that implemented early vaccination programmes covering large parts of the population […] saw the greatest benefit in number of lives saved overall through vaccination,” the study found. 

These countries are Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Malta, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, according to the report.

For example, people aged 80 and older saw the biggest benefits from COVID-19 vaccination, with a reduction of 70% in Malta and 71% in the United Kingdom.  

Malta and Iceland saw the biggest benefits for all age groups, with a 72% and 71% reduction respectively.

However, COVID is still present in Europe and cases are on the rise, as well as seasonal viruses like influenza and RSV, according to the WHO.

“Importantly, as we learn to live with COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, it’s absolutely vital for vulnerable populations to stay up to date with their COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations as recommended,” concluded Kluge.

But even if the co-administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is possible, it is not a decision that will be taken by the European Commission. 

“Member states will make decisions on their national vaccination campaigns depending on the epidemiological conditions and the availability of vaccines in their countries,” Emer Cooke, director of the European Medicines Agency, told a press conference in September. 

How vaccines were secured in Europe

The European Commission played its role in securing COVID-19 vaccines after the pandemic outbreak in Europe in 2020.

On 17 June 2020, the Commission presented its EU Vaccines Strategy, with the aim of speeding up the production of doses and ensuring fair access to vaccines for all EU citizens.

This was achieved through advance purchase agreements, as the Commission shared the development risk of a vaccine with the vaccine manufacturers and supported the preparation of at-scale production capacity through upfront payments from the EU budget.

The first shots were administered at the end of 2020. In total, more than 1.7 billion doses had been supplied to EU countries by June 2022, and 86% of the adult population were fully vaccinated, according to the Commission’s data.

While the majority of the doses were purchased from Pfizer, with 2.4 billion doses secured, other pharma companies such as Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Novavax, and Valneva also came to an agreement with the EU executive and were approved by EMA.

“The joint purchase of vaccines has been one the greatest success of the Commission”, Mélanie Heard, health expert at Terra Nova think tank, told Euractiv.

[Edited by Giedrė Peseckytė/Zoran Radosavljevic]

Read more with Euractiv

Commission launches alliance to address shortages of critical medicines

In another move to tackle medicines shortages faced across the EU, the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) launched a Critical Medicines Alliance, an advisory group, on Tuesday (16 January).