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Coronaviruses

COVID-19 Vaccines Show Incredible Benefits in Rollout Results

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Scientists tracking the performance of vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca have found that they are working well to protect people from COVID-19, living up to the results the vaccines delivered in human trials. Immunized people who wind up getting COVID-19 have smaller viral loads, suggesting less risk of serious disease or easily spreading the virus to others. The vaccines have been given to millions, with no unexpected safety problems cropping up, and have shown huge drops in transmission, infections, and hospitalizations.

Key Takeaways:

  • Two doses of Pfizer's vaccine were 94% effective at preventing symptomatic disease and 92% effective at preventing infections overall, according to Israeli data.
  • A single dose of Pfizer's or AstraZeneca's shot reduced hospitalizations by as much as 85% or 94%, respectively, per data from Scotland.
  • Allergic reactions to Pfizer's and Moderna's shots are extraordinarily rare in the US, with about 4.5 reactions per million doses.
  • Immunized people who get COVID-19 have smaller viral loads, suggesting less risk of serious disease or easily spreading the virus to others.
  • The vaccines have been given to millions, with no unexpected safety problems cropping up.
  • Vaccinated people are experiencing expected side effects, such as headaches and fatigue, that last for a day or two after vaccination.
  • Protection is broad, and vaccines seem to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, reducing hospitalizations and deaths.
  • The shots likely tamp down transmission and contagiousness of the virus.

Statistics:

  • 265 million vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, according to Bloomberg News.
  • It will take half a decade for 75% of the world's population to be immunized, according to Bloomberg News calculations.
  • Two doses of Pfizer's vaccine were 94% effective at preventing symptomatic disease and 92% effective at preventing infections overall, according to Israeli data.
  • A single dose of Pfizer's or AstraZeneca's shot reduced hospitalizations by as much as 85% or 94%, respectively, per data from Scotland.
  • Allergic reactions to Pfizer's and Moderna's shots are approximately 4.5 reactions per million doses in the US.
  • Immunized people who wind up getting COVID-19 have smaller viral loads, suggesting less risk of serious disease or easily spreading the virus to others.

Sources:

  • New England Journal of Medicine (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2101765)
  • Edinburgh University (https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/scotland_firstvaccinedata_preprint.pdf)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7008e3-H.pdf)
  • medRxiv (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.06.21251283v1)
  • Bloomberg News (https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/)

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