Estimates of how many people actually die from COVID-19 are disturbingly uncertain. According to the reported deaths, this figure is known to be just over 6 million. However, in countries where testing is not widely available, this estimate remains too low. Compared to ordinary years, it is predicted that this figure may be around 15 million in 2020 and 2021.
While it is difficult to say with certainty how many died, Imperial College London’s Dr. Oliver Watson conducted a study in the UK, limiting it to 365 days after 8 December (the day of the first vaccination). “Our findings provide the most complete assessment to date of the extraordinary global impact of the vaccine on the COVID-19 pandemic,” Watson said in a statement.
Watson and co-authors estimate that 12.2 million deaths were averted in high- and upper-middle-income countries during this time, thanks to the vaccine. This represents countries that can pay for the vaccines they need themselves. The COVID-19 Vaccine Access initiative (COVAX) program has failed due to excessive demand from rich countries, but still 7.5 million lives have been saved in countries with difficult access to vaccines.
Most of the first lives saved were in India, although vaccination rates initially lagged behind the West. Then in 2021, developed countries with elderly populations took over, easing restrictions on movement restrictions and mask mandates. Despite numerous delays in the rollout of vaccines in low-income countries, two-thirds of the world’s population have received at least one dose. The World Health Organization (WHO) target of 70 percent by mid-2022 has almost been achieved.
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