COVID Vaccines Saved Over 2.5 Million Lives Worldwide, Major Global Study Finds
New Delhi, July 26 — Vaccines have saved over 2.5 million lives around the world by preventing deaths from Covid-19, according to a new global study.
The research was led by scientists from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Italy. It found that one death was prevented for every 5,400 Covid vaccine doses given.
The study showed that 82% of lives saved were people who were vaccinated before catching the virus, and 57% of lives saved came during the Omicron wave. Older adults benefited the most, with 90% of saved lives being people aged 60 and above.
Published in the journal JAMA Health Forum, the study also calculated the total years of life saved thanks to vaccines — about 14.8 million years. That’s equal to one year of life saved for every 900 vaccine doses given.
Researchers Dr. Angelo Maria Pezzullo and Dr. Antonio Cristiano said their study is one of the most complete on this topic. It includes worldwide data, the Omicron period, and considers age-related life years saved — all while using fewer assumptions compared to earlier studies.
To conduct the study, the team analyzed data from different countries. They compared people who got Covid before and after vaccination, both during and outside the Omicron period. Then they used statistical models to estimate how many people would have died without vaccines.
They found that the majority of life years saved (76%) were among seniors over 60, but people living in long-term care homes made up only 2% of the total.
In contrast, children and teens made up just 0.01% of lives saved, and young adults aged 20–29 made up only 0.07%. This means the biggest benefit of vaccination was clearly seen in the older population.
