According to the WHO, Covid vaccines have saved more than a million lives in Europe

According to a scientific assessment, corona vaccines have saved more than a million lives in Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union since the end of 2020. This is according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) published on Monday.

This number was calculated based on the number of deaths and vaccine doses administered in 26 countries. More than two million people have died from Covid-19 in the WHO region of Europe since the outbreak of the corona pandemic some three years ago, according to the report.

The effectiveness of the vaccines was weighted differently depending on the prevailing corona variant for the respective waves of the pandemic. Indirect effects of the vaccinations were not included. Most of the people (96 percent) saved by the vaccines were over the age of 60, according to the report. A particularly large number of deaths could be avoided during the Omicron wave. The number of lives saved by vaccination in this phase was estimated at nearly 570,000.

WHO Department Director for Europe, Richard Pebody, called on unvaccinated people to be protected. “We see through our research what a large number of lives have been saved by the Covid-19 vaccines across Europe during the pandemic,” said Pebody, according to a statement.

The Europe region of the World Health Organization includes 53 countries, including the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area, Russia, and several countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia. (sda/dpa)