The COVID vaccine program is estimated to have prevented 2.2 million deaths.
Days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention greenlighted a second booster shot for Americans over 50, a panel of FDA experts are weighing if a second shot is needed for all.COVID-19 breakthrough infections
In the analysis of recent trends, researchers estimated that the daily peak of deaths pre-omicron, and without vaccination, would have exceeded 24,000 per day, far surpassing the actual peak of 4,300 per day, experienced by the country during the winter of 2021.In addition, the researchers estimate that without vaccines, there would have been nearly $900 billion in associated health care costs.A person receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccine clinic in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 9, 2022.
MORE: US flying blind to potential COVID-19 resurgence, experts say, as states scale back on testing, data reporting “Together, we’ve spared millions of families the immeasurable loss that too many others have suffered, and turned unthinkable pain into extraordinary purpose and progress,” the statement said.