Covid : Death rates much higher in unvaccinated, says former WHO chief scientist

NEW DELHI, Jan 2
The coronavirus has evolved significantly since it was first traced in late 2019. From being a considerably deadly virus, it has now become less fatal - thanks to the vaccination initiatives across the world.
However, former World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan asserted that death rates are much higher in unvaccinated compared to vaccinated and boosted individuals.
“Consistent pattern since #COVID19 vaccines became available- death rates much higher in unvaccinated compared to vaccinated and boosted individuals. True in all countries," Soumya Swaminathan tweeted.
In a tweet post, Dr Faheem Younus also said, “Unboosted individuals are 18 times more likely to die if COVID+ compared to those who recently received a bivalent (omicron) booster." He also urged people to get boosted.
The world is witnessing a fresh surge in the cases of the Covid-19 virus, especially in China. Hence, the discussions around Covid vaccination doses have re-started.
In recent research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the advantages of the booster dose of Covid-19 were discussed. The latest research on the booster doses stresses how the mRNA boosters from Pfizer and Moderna influence the persistence of our Covid-19 antibodies.
According to the research which is published in the scientific journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the booster doses resulted in more durable antibodies in the people, even for those who have recovered after getting infected with the virus.
"These results fit with other recent reports and indicate that booster shots enhance the durability of vaccine-elicited antibodies," said senior researcher Jeffrey Wilson, MD, PhD, of UVA Health's Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology.
Wilson and his collaborators tracked the level of Covid-19 antibodies following a booster dose in 117 UVA employee volunteers. The results were compared with 228 volunteers after their primary vaccination series.
From one week to 31 days, the levels of antibodies were the same for both groups, but after that, the antibody levels for people with booster doses stuck for a longer period compared to the group that received the primary vaccination dose. And, the results were irrespective of whether the person had a Covid-19 infection or not.  Livemint