By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Might 16, 2022 (HealthDay Information) — As the USA mourns a million deaths from COVID-19, a brand new research signifies the grim tally may have been worse. Use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine prevented greater than 110,000 deaths and 690,000 hospitalizations in the USA in 2021, researchers report.
The vaccine additionally prevented 8.7 million symptomatic instances of an infection and saved greater than $30 billion in well being care prices and greater than $40 billion in misplaced productiveness, the research authors famous.
“The analyses present that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contributed substantial public well being influence within the U.S. in 2021, and had a deep impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” mentioned Manuela Di Fusco, of Pfizer’s well being economics and outcomes analysis staff.
The Pfizer vaccine was the primary COVID-19 shot out there in the USA. It was given to just about six in 10 folks nationwide who have been absolutely vaccinated in 2021, in line with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
The findings have been printed on-line Might 15 within the Journal of Medical Economics. The entire research authors acquired funding from Pfizer both as staff, consultants or staff of corporations paid by Pfizer.
Regardless of the usage of COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. demise toll throughout the pandemic neared a million final week.
President Joe Biden ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff Thursday.
“We should stay vigilant towards this pandemic and do every little thing we are able to to avoid wasting as many lives as attainable,” Biden mentioned.
On this research, researchers estimated the influence of the Pfizer vaccine utilizing a mannequin, real-world knowledge and medical trial knowledge.
The mannequin used knowledge on the variety of folks vaccinated, the effectiveness of the vaccine in varied age teams, and the possibilities of being contaminated, growing signs and being hospitalized.
It additionally included the results of lengthy COVID, the variety of working days probably misplaced as a result of short-term sickness and the financial influence of untimely deaths from the illness.
The mannequin didn’t embody the influence of the extra transmissible Omicron variant that grew to become the dominant coronavirus pressure on the finish of the research interval.
Continued
The vaccine “was estimated to forestall thousands and thousands of COVID-19 symptomatic instances, hundreds of hospitalizations and deaths, and generated billions in societal financial worth within the U.S. in 2021,” Di Fusco mentioned in a journal information launch.
The findings “spotlight the chance to proceed widespread vaccination uptake to forestall COVID-19-related illness and generate societal advantages,” she added.
Quite a lot of limitations may have resulted within the numbers within the research being underestimates, in line with Di Fusco and colleagues. These embody not factoring within the vaccine’s potential to cut back transmission of the coronavirus, the severity of instances and the general influence of lengthy COVID .
The researchers additionally famous that their findings cannot be utilized to different COVID-19 vaccines or teams of individuals not particularly analyzed within the research.
Extra data
There’s extra on COVID-19 vaccines on the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
SOURCE: Journal of Medical Economics, information launch, Might 16, 2022
