As of the time of writing this article, more than 2.39 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, equal to 31 doses for every 100 people according to Global Vaccination Tracker. Although there is a stark gap between vaccination programs in different countries, with some yet to report a single dose.
Israel was the first to show that vaccinations were having a nationwide effect. The country has led the world in vaccinations, and by February more than 84% of people ages 70 and older had received two doses. Severe covid cases and deaths declined rapidly. A separate analysis in the U.K. showed similar results.
It’s now a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus. New strains threaten renewed outbreaks. In the early stages of a campaign, the effect of vaccinations is often outweighed by other factors of transmissibility: virus mutations, seasonality, the effectiveness of mask use, and social distancing. In time, higher vaccination rates should limit the Covid-19 burden around the world.
Side Effects From COVID-19 Vaccines
Not all coronavirus vaccines are the same. Some tend to cause more side effects after the first dose, others cause more side effects after the second dose. The very common side effects are the same and should still only last a day or two. Even if you do have side effects after the first dose, you still need to have the second dose. The full recommended course will give you the best protection against the virus.
How Many People Have Died From The COVID-19 Vaccine?
There have been reports of a rare blood clot affecting a small number of people who have had the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine (10 people develop this condition for every million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine given).
The rate of clotting incidents is 3.1 cases per 100,000 first doses for those aged under 50 and 1.8 cases for those who are older. For people aged 50-59, the rate of clotting is 1.9 cases for every 100,000 doses.
The problem can also happen in people who have not been vaccinated and it’s not yet clear why it affects some people. For people under 40 without underlying health conditions, it’s currently advised that it’s preferable to have another coronavirus vaccine instead of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Italy has completely banned the vaccine following a series of death.
A few months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot in six vaccine recipients. All six cases involved women between the ages of 18 and 48, according to a joint statement issued by the agencies. Symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after they received this one-dose vaccine. One woman died. A second woman has been hospitalized in critical condition, according to federal officials.
According to a study published in the BM Journal, the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is “likely” to have been responsible for at least 10 deaths of frail elderly people in nursing homes in Norway, an expert review commissioned by the Norwegian Medicines Agency has concluded.
So far the total number of death arising from the use of the various types of COVID -19 vaccine is unknown but reports have it that over 5000 might have died from adverse reactions to the vaccines in the United States. The statistics fueling this fear typically come from a 30-year-old database known as VAERS — the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System — which can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. But this data which has triggered widespread fear and panic has also been faulted by experts because it did not provide the full details of the circumstances related to the reported deaths.
The National public-health agency also has stated that its review of the medical records of those who died shortly after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine revealed: “no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths.”
Unfortunately, such unsubstantiated claims and fears about vaccine-related deaths have spread far and wide on the internet. A British online publication called The Conservative Woman said in a headline that COVID-19 vaccines were “linked to blindness, deafness, miscarriages and 5,000 deaths.” ALSO READ: How Long Does The Covid Vaccine Last
