Covid vaccines cut global death toll by 20m in first year, study finds

The scientists said many more deaths could have been prevented if access to vaccines had been more equal worldwide. Photograph: AP

Covid vaccines cut the global death toll by 20 million in the first year after they were available, according to the first major analysis.

The study, which modelled the spread of the disease in 185 countries and territories between December 2020 and December 2021, found that without Covid vaccines 31.4 million people would have died, and that 19.8 million of these deaths were avoided. The study is the first attempt to quantify the number of deaths prevented directly and indirectly as a result of Covid-19 vaccinations.