Scotland's Covid vaccination programme 'saved 27,000 lives'
- Published
Scotland's vaccination programme reached virtually 100% coverage among the over-60s during the summer
More than 27,000 deaths in Scotland have been prevented by Covid vaccinations, according to World Health Organization (WHO) research.
The paper, published in the medical journal Eurosurveillance, external, examined the vaccination programmes in 33 countries.
Researchers estimate that 86% of deaths in Scotland among the over-60s were averted by vaccines.
The WHO-led study put the total number of lives saved across all 33 countries as 469,186 - 51% of expected deaths.
The exact number of deaths saved in Scotland was 27,656, according to the paper.
WHO's research was supported by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and estimates the number of lives saved between December 2020 and November 2021.
Dr Nicholas Phin, PHS's director of public health science said: "We know that the Covid-19 vaccine remains the most effective way to protect ourselves. This latest study shows just what an impact the Covid-19 vaccination programme has had in Scotland.
"When it's your time to receive a third or booster dose of the vaccine, please do take the opportunity to bolster your protection against Covid-19 at the earliest opportunity."
Scotland's vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020, with the priority groups assigned by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation receiving the jab first.
Older age groups, people with underlying health issues and front-line health and social care workers were prioritised in the programme, external.
Almost 90% of over-18s in Scotland - about 3.9 million people - are now fully vaccinated, but coverage is skewed towards older age groups.
Among the over-60s, the age group examined in the WHO study, coverage has been close to 100% since August.
A booster programme to renew immunity among those most vulnerable to Covid-19 illness began in Scotland in September.
Figures from the National Records of Scotland show that the peak in total deaths during the outbreak this autumn was lower than the winter - despite the much higher number of cases.
The peak in the first wave of the pandemic in Scotland was between 20 and 26 April 2020, when 663 death certificates mentioned Covid-19.
This compares with a peak of 452 in January 2021 and a peak of 167 in September 2021.
On average, the proportion of deaths among older age groups has also fallen as vaccine coverage has increased.
Nine in every 10 Covid deaths have been in people aged over 60 and these findings again back up evidence that vaccines are incredibly effective.
The countries that faired best were those who rolled their vaccination programme out earliest and had the highest uptake rate in the population.
It does only provide a snapshot in time because different places will have experienced peaks and troughs in waves at different times.
And here in Scotland the emerging data suggests that boosters might already be making a difference.
It's too early to know for sure, but there has been a drop in those aged over 60 testing positive for Covid as well as in hospital admissions. That's why people are being encouraged to get theirs as soon as they become eligible.
