Unvaccinated were twice as likely to die from Covid as vaccinated: Nivel

In 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 was twice as likely to be the cause of death of unvaccinated people as in vaccinated people, according to a new study by Nivel. The side-effects center believes the COVID-19 high vaccination rate prevented many deaths, especially in vulnerable groups.

Nivel studied the excess mortality in the Netherlands in pandemic years 2021 and 2022 among people who got vaccinated against the coronavirus, and those who chose not to. The researchers took account of a large number of characteristics that could be associated with death, including age, medical history, migration background, and possible vulnerability to the disease.

The mortality rate among vaccinated people was much lower than expected in the first three months and then the first twelve months after their first vaccination. “There were up to 45 percent fewer deaths than expected based on data on population characteristics and deaths from 2015 to 2018,” Nivel said. It added that other coronavirus measures, like lockdowns and social distancing, also likely played a role in this under-mortality.

These measures also played a role for unvaccinated people. However, the excess mortality in this group was massive. “There were almost three times as many deaths as expected,” Nivel said. Among unvaccinated vulnerable groups - the elderly, people with diabetes, people with COPD, and people with cardiovascular diseases - the excess mortality was up to five times higher than in vaccinated vulnerable groups.

“The observation that in the same period (2021-2022) - a period in which the same COVID-19 measures applied to everyone - there was excess mortality among unvaccinated people and under-mortality among vaccinated people suggest that the COVID-19 vaccination has worked and prevented deaths,” the side effects center said.