LONDON — According to the latest modeling analysis done by the Public Health England (PHE) and the University of Cambridge's MRC Biostatistics Unit, the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination program has so far prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England alone. This is the first analysis giving an estimated number of vaccine-prevented infections, providing further evidence of the staggering impact of the vaccination program so far, the UK government said on Monday in a press statement. Commenting on the analysis, PHE head of immunization Dr. Mary Ramsay said: "These findings remind us once again why getting both doses of your vaccine is the most important thing you can do to stop the spread of this terrible disease." "As well as preventing the deaths of tens of thousands from COVID-19, for the first time we can now appreciate the huge impact that the vaccines have had on stopping people getting infected, and therefore passing the virus on to others." Dr. Ramsay added: "The results were produced using the PHE and Cambridge real-time pandemic surveillance model, looking at the direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 vaccination program on infections and mortality.: According to Dr. Ramsay, the total was calculated by comparing the estimated impact of vaccination on infection and mortality against a worst-case scenario where no vaccines were in place to reduce infections and mortality. Dr. Paul Birrell, senior research associate at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge and senior principal modeler at PHE, said: "The number of infections and deaths saved by the vaccination program is not only astoundingly high, but continues to grow exponentially as the vaccination program continues." "In practice, this analysis highlights that the vaccination program has given us a path back towards a normal life that wouldn't otherwise have been possible. This is why it's so important that we all get 2 doses of the vaccine as soon as we can," Dr. Birrell added.
