Why It’s Easy to Misinterpret Numbers of Deaths Among the Vaccinated
SciCheck Digest
Raw numbers of hospitalizations or deaths among those who are vaccinated are not a good indicator of whether vaccines are effective. If the large majority of a population is vaccinated, it’s not surprising if most deaths are among the vaccinated. But social media posts misuse data from the U.K. to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines don’t work.
All of the authorized and approved vaccines are effective at preventing symptomatic disease.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, showed a final efficacy of 91% against symptomatic illness in its phase 3 trial, meaning that under the conditions of the trial the vaccine reduced the risk of getting sick by 91%. The Moderna vaccine showed similar results in its clinical trial, with an efficacy of 94% against disease at the time of emergency use authorization.
Johnson & Johnson, which partly tested its vaccine in South Africa when the beta variant emerged, reported an efficacy of 66% in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 and an efficacy of 85% in preventing severe or critical COVID-19.
Subsequent studies have that the vaccines are effective under real-world conditions, against the highly contagious delta variant, although in preventing infection and mild disease compared with earlier versions of the virus. Most studies show the vaccines in preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death from delta.
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days