Access to Covid-19 vaccination and Covid-19-related hospital admissions and mortality (15 January 2024)

Summary

This Lancet article highlights new evidence from analysis of population-based electronic health records for almost the entire population of the UK. The analysis showed that, as of 1 June 2022, a high proportion of the population had received fewer than the recommended number of Covid-19 vaccinations: 45·8% in England, 49·8% in Northern Ireland, 34·2% in Scotland and 32·8% in Wales. Combining the results across countries suggests that a substantial number of severe Covid-19 outcomes, including hospital admissions or deaths from Covid-19, might be prevented if recommended vaccination schedules were fully implemented.

These findings reinforce the message that the role of vaccination in Covid-19 is to mitigate the severity of the illness, reducing the risk of complications and mortality, rather than avoiding all Covid-19 infections.