COVID-19 vaccines likely saved more than a quarter of a million lives and prevented more than a million hospitalizations according to new estimates from Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund.
CNN reports researchers estimated there would have been about 279,000 additional coronavirus-related deaths by the end of June had vaccines not been administered. Around 1.25 million people would also likely have been hospitalized were it not for the vaccines.
If the vaccination rate had been half as fast as it has been, then an additional 121,000 may have died and 450,000 people would have hospitalized, according to the researchers.
These additional deaths would have due to an increased spread of the alpha variant first detected in the UK that quickly became the dominant strain in the U.S. in the spring. Health experts are urging unvaccinated people to get their COVID-19 shots as the delta variant of the virus, believed to be more infectious, continues to spread.
"This is further evidence that our whole-of-government strategy is working and has prevented significant further tragedy and disruption to Americans' lives and livelihoods," White House COVID-19 response director Jeff Zients
Jeff Zients15 states are keeping COVID-19 breakthrough cases under wraps White House says half of total US population fully vaccinated Former Trump surgeon general says politicians are 'taking tools' away from public health offices MORE said on Thursday, calling the research "a powerful reminder about what's at stake in our vaccination efforts."
This information comes just as the U.S. recently missed President Biden
Joe BidenBill Maher says Cuomo can't stay after scandal: He's no 'Donald Trump' Senate confirms Biden's pick for Navy secretary CNN's Jim Acosta on delta variant: 'Why not call it the DeSantis variant?' MORE's goal of having at least 70 percent of adults have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. According to the CDC, about 67 percent of adults have received at least one dose and 58.5 percent are fully vaccinated.
