COVID-19 vaccines may have saved the lives of 39,000 seniors in US: HHS study
COVID-19 vaccines may have saved the lives of tens of thousands of seniors nationwide early this year, according to estimates from a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report released Tuesday.
The study suggests that COVID-19 vaccinations may have prevented about 265,000 infections, 107,000 hospitalizations and 39,000 fatalities among Medicare recipients in the first five months of 2021. Researchers specifically found the vaccines may have stopped 5,600 deaths among nursing home Medicare beneficiaries — a population hit hard by the pandemic prior to vaccines.
The HHS report signals the effectiveness of the vaccines in potentially averting senior deaths after the majority of fatalities before shots occurred among people ages 65 and older who were eligible for Medicare.
Read the full story from The Hill here.
