Study Suggests COVID-19 Vaccinations Saved Millions, But Benefits Were Mostly Seen In Older Adults

MedPage Today (7/25, Rudd) reported a study suggests that “while the worldwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations saved millions of lives, benefits were mostly seen in older adults.” Researchers found that “COVID vaccination prevented an estimated 2.5 million deaths globally from December 2020 to October 2024, with lives saved among people ages 60 and older accounting for nearly 90% of that mortality benefit.” According to the researchers, “children and adolescents ages 19 and younger made up only 0.01% of the estimated total lives saved by vaccination, with young adults ages 20 to 29 accounting for another 0.07% of saved lives.” The estimate of lives saved is notably “lower than prior analyses, and the study also did not address virus-related hospitalizations.” The study was published in JAMA Health Forum.