Older people are being urged to get fully vaccinated against Covid as a world-wide study shows thousands of hospital admissions and deaths could have been avoided in Britain if everyone had had all their doses.
The rollout started strongly in Britain, where 90% of the population over 12 years of age had been vaccinated with at least one dose by January 2022. However, a study shows that the number of subsequent doses fell sharply, with less than half of the population fully vaccinated. by June 2022.
Covid-19 continues to infect people of all ages in the UK, while the last date for those eligible for their seasonal jab – including all adults aged 65 or over – is January 31.
In the first study involving the entire UK population of 67 million people, researchers found that by June 2022, only 44% of the population had had the recommended number of jabs and boosters.
More than 7,000 hospital admissions and deaths in Britain could have been avoided that summer alone if people had had all their Covid jabs, the study suggested. The research, led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and the University of Edinburgh, was published in the Lancet.
“The study result is a strong validation of the benefits of vaccination,” said Alan Keys of HDR UK, who was on the study’s steering group and co-author of the paper.
The study looked at everyone in Britain aged five and over, with under-vaccination defined as not having had all the doses they were eligible for.
As of June 1, 2022, 45.7% of people in England were under-vaccinated, as were 49.8% of people in Northern Ireland, 34.2% in Scotland and 32.8% in Wales, the research found.
Researchers used mathematical modeling to find that 7,180 hospital admissions and deaths out of 40,393 Covid hospitalizations and deaths between June 1 and September 30, 2022 would have been avoidable if the UK population had been fully vaccinated.
Of the 40,393 hospitalizations and deaths, 14,156 were among people who were undervaccinated. Although all age groups were affected, the majority were elderly, researchers said.
Under-vaccinated people over the age of 75 were more than twice as likely to develop a severe Covid-19 rash than those who were fully protected, the study found.
Those eligible for a seasonal Covid vaccine before the end of this month include all people aged 65 or over, those aged between six months and 64 who are at increased risk, and those in a care home for older adults live. Primary care and social work workers, caregivers aged 16 to 64, and people aged 12 to 64 who live with someone with a weakened immune system are also eligible.
The highest rates of undervaccination were found among younger people, men, people in more deprived areas and people of non-white ethnicity, the study found.
“Covid-19 vaccines save lives,” said Prof. Sir Aziz Sheikh, research director of HDR UK and co-lead of the study. “As new variants emerge, this study will help identify groups in our society and parts of the country where public health campaigns should be targeted and tailored to those communities.”
Researchers said the study – the largest of its kind carried out in Britain and the first of its kind worldwide – marked a milestone for science.
It included virtually everyone in Britain and unified NHS data that was stored and collected in different ways depending on the country. Experts aim to expand this type of research to many other areas of medicine, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, screening programs and other vaccinations, such as for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Professor Cathie Sudlow, Chief Scientist at Health Data Research UK and Director of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre, said: “We believe we can and should extend these approaches to many other areas of medicine, such as cancer. heart disease and diabetes to seek a better understanding, prevention and treatment of diseases.”