## COVID-19 Vaccinations May Have Saved Thousands of Lives in Australia
A new study suggests that COVID-19 vaccinations may have prevented almost 18,000 deaths among older Australians in New South Wales (NSW) during the early Omicron era.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Tel Aviv used computer simulations to estimate the impact of the vaccination campaign on mortality rates. They found that without the campaign, the death rate would have been six times higher.
The study attributed the success of the vaccination campaign to high levels of engagement from Australians and the achievement of high vaccination rates just before the Omicron outbreak.
Complete vaccination by July 28, 2021: This scenario estimated that 440 deaths could have been prevented with earlier vaccination.
This scenario estimated that 1,860 deaths were prevented by the booster campaign.
This scenario predicted an almost immediate major outbreak of Delta, followed by an even more extreme outbreak of Omicron in January 2022. The model predicted that the death toll would have been significantly higher without any vaccination.
The study also noted that the estimated deaths averted may be underestimates, as higher vaccination rates would have had positive spillover effects of reducing transmission.
The researchers concluded that the vaccination campaign was successful in reducing mortality during the early Omicron era in NSW. They also emphasized the importance of high vaccination rates in future pandemics to reduce health loss.