The European Journal of Epidemiology published a study highlighting the lack of correlation between the vaccination rate and the number of cases detected in a given country. The authors recommend a change of strategy in the face of the epidemic.
«L’European Journal of Epidemiology, of which I am the editor, is the most popular journal in the world in epidemiology. Here, he reports the lack of correlation between vaccine policy and number of cases, ”wrote Professor Didier Raoult on his Twitter account, sharing the study of the cited scientific journal, published on September 30.
The European Journal of Epidemiology, of which I am the editor, is the most popular journal in the world in epidemiology. Here, he reports the lack of correlation between vaccination policy and number of cases.https://t.co/p0K3p0lP9Y
– Didier Raoult (@raoult_didier) October 8, 2021
–
Countries with a higher percentage of fully vaccinated population have higher Covid-19 cases per million people
We learn in fact that “there does not seem to be a discernible relationship between the percentage of the population completely vaccinated and new cases of Covid-19”. Even more astonishing, according to this text, “countries with a higher percentage of fully vaccinated population have higher Covid-19 cases per million people”. The authors cite in particular Israel which, “with more than 60% of its population fully vaccinated, recorded the highest cases of Covid-19 per one million people in the last seven days”. Same observation for Iceland and Portugal: “The two countries have more than 75% of their population fully vaccinated and have more cases of Covid-19 per 1 million inhabitants than countries like Vietnam and South Africa. South who have about 10% of their population fully vaccinated. “
“A change of course becomes essential with the emerging scientific evidence on the real effectiveness of vaccines”
The study therefore recommends reviewing the strategy focused only on vaccination to reduce the impact of the epidemic. “The sole reliance on vaccination as the main strategy to mitigate Covid-19 and its adverse consequences needs to be reconsidered, especially given the Delta variant and the likelihood of future variants,” the authors write.
“Other pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions may need to be put in place alongside increasing vaccination rates,” they recommend. “Such a change of course, especially with regard to political discourse, becomes paramount with the emerging scientific evidence on the real effectiveness of vaccines,” they add.
In summary, the study concludes, “while efforts should be made to encourage people to be vaccinated, it should be done with humility and respect. Stigmatizing people can do more harm than good ”.
For the WHO, a high vaccination rate remains essential
On September 10, the director of the WHO in Europe had already been somewhat pessimistic about the ability of a high vaccination rate to stop the Covid-19 pandemic on its own, due to the variants that reduced the prospect of collective immunity. With an increased probability that the disease will remain endemic without being eradicated, Hans Kluge called during a press conference to “anticipate in order to adapt our vaccination strategies”, in particular on the issue of additional doses.
The main objective of vaccination is above all to prevent severe forms of disease and death
In May, the UN health official said that “the pandemic will be[it] finished when we have reached a minimum immunization coverage of 70% ”of the world population. Asked whether this goal remained valid or should be raised, Hans Kluge replied in September that the new, more contagious variants, mainly Delta, had changed the game.
At the time, even though the variant initially detected in India was already rampant, “there was no such emergence of more transmissible and more viral variants,” he argued. “So I believe that this brings us to the point where the essential objective of vaccination is above all to prevent severe forms of disease and mortality,” he stressed. A very high level of vaccination also remains essential “to reduce the pressure on our health systems which desperately need to treat diseases other than Covid”, he added.
–
