More than 1 million Americans have died of Covid-19 since the first cases were recorded in the country in early 2020, but according to a new study released by The Commonwealth Fund, the toll would have been far higher if not for the development of the Covid vaccines.
Researchers found that the vaccines – first rolled out two years ago, with more than 650 million doses given – prevented 18.5 million hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths. The vaccines also significantly reduced overall medical costs, saving the U.S. an estimated $1.15 trillion.
The numbers are likely conservative, the researchers said, and don’t attempt to account for things like the costs associated with long Covid. A separate report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that long Covid is a serious problem, affecting as many as 30% of those who get Covid and likely killing thousands of people.
Overall, the Commonwealth study makes a strong case for the development of the vaccines, finding them to be an excellent use of public funds. “We pay for the vaccination campaign and it works,” Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, an associate professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern University, told STAT News. “It saves us money and it saves lives.”
