According to the first comprehensive modeling study on the matter, released on Friday, covid vaccinations averted over 20 million fatalities in the first year following their introduction.

This study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is based on information collected from 185 nations and territories between December 8, 2020, and December 8, 2021.

It is the first attempt to estimate the direct and indirect number of deaths avoided by Covid-19 vaccines.

It was determined that 19,8 million fatalities were averted out of a potential 31.4 million deaths that would have occurred without immunizations.

The study indicated that there was a 63% decrease.

The analysis utilized official figures — or estimates when official data was unavailable — for Covid-related deaths and the total number of excess deaths in each country.

Excess mortality is the difference between the total number of deaths from all causes and the predicted number based on historical information.

These studies were contrasted to an alternate hypothetical scenario in which no vaccine was delivered.

The model accounted for disparities in vaccination rates between nations and differences in vaccine efficacy based on the types of vaccines known to have been used most frequently in each country.

It was stated that China was excluded from the study due to its massive population and stringent containment efforts, which would have skewed the results.

The study found that high- and middle-income countries prevented the most fatalities, 12.2 million out of 19.8 million, reflecting global disparities in access to vaccines.

It was determined that an additional 600,000 fatalities might have been avoided if the World Health Organization's (WHO) objective of vaccinating 40 percent of each country's population by the end of 2021.

The global availability of vaccines has likely saved millions of lives, according to Oliver Watson, the principal author of the study from Imperial College London.

He stated, "We could have done more."

According to the WHO, covid has killed more than 6,3 million people worldwide.

Last month, the organization reported that all direct and indirect causes were considered, but the figure might be as high as 15 million.

The data are critical because they reflect the authorities' global response to the crisis.

Some regions, mainly Europe, are experiencing a comeback of the virus, which is partly attributable to Omicron subvariants.