Is the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Working? We ’re Not Sure Yet

After four months and 171 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered across the U.S., more than a few of us are eager to know: are the shots working? Thus far, available evidence can half-answer that question: The vaccines are working well for those who can get them. As soon as the rollout kicked off, a variety of researchers began conducting what might be considered an unofficial phase 4 clinical trial, monitoring early vaccine recipients among the general public. Several of their studies have found a significant reduction in both the rates of infection and severity of symptoms among vaccinated populations compared to similar demographics who are still awaiting a dose. On an individual level, the vaccines appear to be working as well in real life as they did in controlled trials. But there’s another part of that question: will mass vaccination hasten the end of the pandemic? On first pass, this might seem to be happening. As of April 7, nearly 20% of Americans have received a completed regimen of either the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, or the one-shot Janssen variety. Meanwhile, the daily number of deaths in the U.S. attributed to COVID-19, on a rolling seven-day average, is currently 611—a ghastly figure, but a tremendous drop from the all-time post-holiday peak of 3,428 on Jan. 11. The last time the figure was this low was on Jul. 4, 2020, just before deaths climbed again in the wake of a second wave over the summer, from which the count...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news