More than 10,000 lives were saved by the first three months of the NHS vaccination programme, according to updated estimates.
Hundreds of lives a day are being saved by vaccines already given and the numbers are likely to keep rising, according to a study by Public Health England (PHE).
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “It’s fantastic to see the impact our pioneering vaccination programme is already having, with over 10,000 lives saved in a short space of time. That’s more than 10,000 families who haven’t suffered the loss of a loved one. The science is clear: vaccines save lives.”
Last month PHE estimated that 6,100 lives had been saved up to the end of February by comparing the actual death toll with what would have been expected without vaccination.
The latest analysis does the same up to the end of March, but as the study assumes that it takes a month to build protection, it is effectively looking at the effect of the 17 million jabs that had been given in England up to the end of February.
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The analysis looked only at people over 60, estimating that 9,100 deaths were prevented in those aged 80 and older, 1,200 in those aged 70-79 and 100 in those aged 60-69. In total it estimated that there were 10,400 fewer deaths than would have been expected without vaccination.
Government sources described the figures as “very conservative” and PHE said that they were “likely to be an underestimate”.
The estimates do not take into account any effect of the vaccines in reducing transmission of the virus, which is looking increasingly significant, meaning the real number saved by preventing infections in the first place is likely to be far bigger.
PHE’s report concluded: “The true value of these vaccines may be in terms of future deaths we might now avoid if there is a resurgence of Covid-19 in the UK in the future.”
Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: “While the vaccines have a striking impact on mortality, we don’t confidently know yet how much these vaccines will reduce the risk of you passing Covid-19 on to others.
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“Even if you have been vaccinated, it is really important that you continue to act like you have the virus, practise good hand hygiene and stay at home.”
Ramsay stressed that the results from the study were “further evidence that the Covid-19 vaccinations are continuing to prevent hundreds of deaths every day”, adding: “I would encourage anyone who is offered a vaccine to take it as soon as possible.”
