COVID-19 deaths and the efficacy of the Covid vaccine
The university where I was on faculty for 37 years has one of ten NIH-funded vaccine testing and evaluation units in the US. I vividly recall attending a presentation by the clinical director of our vaccine center in January of 2020 on the then-new SARS-CoV-2 virus. By the summer, our vaccine center became a clinical trial site for the Moderna mRNA vaccine. I immediately enrolled, even though I knew I had a 50% chance of being in the placebo arm (in the event, I was in the vaccine arm, which was obvious on the second jab).
According to Wikipedia, there have been over 7 million Covid-related deaths as of August 2024. To put that in perspective, that’s over a third of the world-wide deaths attributed to World War I (20 million), which by any measure is an immense loss of human life. On the other hand, the global COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved 2.4 million lives in 141 countries*, a tremendous contribution to public health. Of course, more lives could have been saved if the vaccine had reached more people in the poorer nations.
I’ve seen some carping that the vaccines were failures because they didn’t prevent infections. Of course, that was never the promise of the vaccines. The goal of the vaccines was to keep people out of the ED and the morgue, and they succeeded overwhelmingly in that goal. As I posted here previously, vaccination also reduces the incidence of long COVID.
Anyone who claims the COVID-19 pandemic was a “dud” and/or that the vaccines had no effect is ignorant or lying.
*for details, click the link below
COVID-19 deaths and vaccine efficacy
I think many were surprised that infection was not just remotely possible, but very possible. I think the months of messaging around it, particularly discussions of herd immunity shaped expectations. I remember well the graphics of different colored balls finally getting to a state of extinguishing transmission. It wasn’t like that, but that’s what millions thought would occur. Also, vaccination of children is likely most families’ top vaccine experience and you just expect that those vaccines prevent those diseases. The vaccines did what they were intended to do, but not what a lot of people thought would be the case. Time is probably the biggest element in resetting this. High food prices; people will cool off on a couple years. Heavy irregular immigrant influxes; a decade and folks will be okay probably. These vaccines; 4 or 5 years and there will not be any controversy about what these do and what they don’t do.
@Eric,
“The vaccines did what they were intended to do, but not what a lot of people thought would be the case.”
That’s certainly correct, from everything I know and have observed. Odd, though, in the 21st century, in the richest country on the planet and in the age of the internet when the necessary information could easily be had.
“. . . 4 or 5 years and there will not be any controversy about what these do and what they don’t do.”
Your prophecy is noted.
I hope it proves to be correct.
To be clear, I think the controversy about them being ineffective because you can still get COVID will fade but other causes of vaccine resistance will possibly prove more durable. I know folks who accept that the metrics against COVID specifically are good, yet feel that globally and over longer timeframes they have questions and will wait 10 or 15 years to see what develops as they presume their current health makes them low risk for severe COVID.
@Eric,
“. . . they presume their current health makes them low risk for severe COVID.”
I’m sure there are plenty of Americans who believe that, in spite of the evidence. Those are the sort of folks who waste their money on lottery tickets.
Of course, severe COVID isn’t the only risk. There’s also long COVID, which vaccination protects from.
Like I said, it’s weird to see such ignorance in the third decade of the 21st century.
The great success of Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.
All the successor admin had to do was make the vaccines mandatory.