As the COVID-19 pandemic is still far from over, getting vaccinated, according to health experts, is the only way to stay away from the deadly infection. But according to a study, 29 percent of the 42 patients who died after contracting the now-dominant Delta (B.1.617.2) variant have had both the vaccinations completed.
On June 25, in Public Health England’s technical briefing it was revealed that the percentage has climbed up to 43% with the majority of the population having obtained at least one dose of the vaccine.
Are the vaccines working effectively?
Many individuals in England are dying from the deadly Delta variant even after getting vaccinated. So, the question is: Is this an indication that the vaccines are ineffective?
The answer is that the vaccines aren’t 100% effective. The effectiveness of two doses preventing hospital admission with Delta infections is estimated to be around 94 percent by PHE.
However, the probability of dying from COVID-19 is highly dependent on age. This means that someone who is fully vaccinated at the age of 80 is essentially taking on the risk of someone who is unvaccinated at the age of 50 – a considerably reduced risk, but still a risk and we can predict certain deaths.
The PHE study also reveals that approximately a third of Delta variant deaths occur in adults over the age of 50 who are unvaccinated, which is surprising considering the high vaccine coverage.
For example, OpenSAFELY predicts that 93 percent of people between the ages of 65 to 69 are not yet vaccinated. However, in deprived communities, the rates are lower, and few ethnic groups and communities with inadequate access to resources will continue to suffer.
The Bottom Line
When evaluating vaccination programs, coverage and effectiveness are crucial variables. So, rather than taking a quick look at social media and coming across several theories regarding COVID-19, vaccines, or vaccinations, we must consider analysis by the analysts.
