Newly analysed data from the United States shows that, in real-world applications, Covid-19 vaccines are 99.9% effective against serious illness and 99.2% effective against death.

According to a new analysis by the Associated Press, looking at government data from the month of May, nearly ALL Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in the United States now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how truly effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.

Deaths from Covid-19 in the US have plummeted more than 90% from a grim peak of more than 3,400 per day on average in mid-January, which was just one month into the vaccination drive.

Now, about 63% of all vaccine-eligible Americans – those 12 and older – have received at least one dose, and 53% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. (For comparison, in Malaysia, as of June 25, about 11.6% of the target vaccinated population – 26.18 million, or 80% of the total population – have received at least one dose; just 7.3% are fully vaccinated.)

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

Data analysis showed that of over 853,000 hospitalisations due to Covid, less than 1,200 were in patients who had been fully vaccinated, a rate of around 0.1% – indicating a stunning 99.9% effectiveness against inpatient illness, which describes a Covid-related illness serious enough to require admission to a hospital.

Similarly, of the more than 18,000 Covid deaths in May, just 150 were among fully vaccinated people, or just 0.8%. (It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the victims had underlying health issues, or ‘co-morbidities,’ but that has often been the case.)

Though there are limitations to the data, primarily as some states are being more aggressive than others in tracking the data points related to what are called “breakthrough cases” – or infections in fully vaccinated people – the trend nevertheless couldn’t be more clear, and it echoes what virtually all health authorities and top experts are saying: the vaccines work.

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky put it very plainly, saying that the deaths from Covid now are not just tragic, they’re needless. The vaccines are so effective, she said, that “nearly every death, especially among adults, due to Covid-19, is at this point entirely preventable.”

Real-world data continues to roll in from around the world, all pointing to an inescapable conclusion: If you are fully vaccinated, you are exceedingly unlikely to become seriously ill or die from Covid-19. According to the CDC – and confirmed by a growing mountain of data – the vaccines are “nearly 100% effective against severe disease and death.”

This is the roadmap that will lead us out of the coronavirus pandemic.

PROTECT YOURSELF. PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES. PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES.

The number of daily vaccine jabs administered in Malaysia continues to rise. The seven-day moving average of doses given hit another new high on June 25, now up to 213,207. That number has tripled since the beginning of June, which is great progress. We’d love to see it at least doubled in the next three weeks.

Have you registered for your vaccine? If not, head over to www.vaksincovid.gov.my and sign up today.