Economy 23 November 2021, 5:44pm

A single chart on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines

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The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published a graph to point to the correlation between the vaccination rate and deaths stemming from coronavirus-related diseases.

The chart shows two sets of data side by side. The percentage of the adult population of EU member states being fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and the number of Covid deaths per one million population.

The correlation is clear: the higher the vaccination rate, the lower the mortality caused by coronavirus-related diseases.

Data shows us that the higher the vaccination rate, the lower the death rate. #COVID19
— European (Commission) November 23, 2021

Perhaps, it would have been more fortunate if the ECDC presented the same statistics for a longer period instead of just for the past 14 days. We might see different results. For instance, the same death figures in Belgium (87% vaccination rate) and Slovakia (54% vaccination rate) beg for further analysis and the comparison of other variables.

Anti-vaxxers often argue that regardless of high vaccination rates the speed at which coronavirus has been spreading is even greater now than in the previous 'waves' of the pandemic. Note, however, that vaccination may not hamper the spread of the virus efficiently but it does prevent severe disease and death with great success. This is clearly shown by the ECDC's figures, as well.