High Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Reducing COVID-19-Related Deaths in over 75-Year-Olds, Ceará State, Brazil

• Published in: Tropical medicine and infectious disease Vol. 6; no. 3; p. 129
• Main Authors: Alencar, Carlos Henrique, Cavalcanti, Luciano Pamplona de Góes, Almeida, Magda Moura de, Barbosa, Patrícia Pereira Lima, Cavalcante, Kellyn Kessiene de Sousa, Melo, Déborah Nunes de, de Brito Alves, Bruno Cavalcante Fales, Heukelbach, Jorg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13-07-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Communication; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; epidemiology; Fatalities; Immunization; mortality; Older people; Pandemics; public health; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Brazil; United States > US; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; mortality; epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2; public health
• ISSN: 2414-6366; 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6030129

In Brazil, the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination program has so far prioritized people over 75 years of age. By the end of March 2021, in Ceará State, a total of 313,328 elderly people had received at least one dose of vaccine (45% Oxford-AstraZeneca/Fiocruz and 55% CoronaVac-Sinovac/Butantan), and 159,970 had received two doses (83% CoronaVac-Sinovac/Butantan and 17% Oxford-AstraZeneca/Fiocruz). After a single dose, there was already a significant reduction in COVID 19-related deaths (protection ratio: 19.31 (95% CI: 18.20-20.48), attributable protection ratio: 94.8%); higher protection ratios were observed after the application of two doses of the vaccine (132.67; 95% CI: 109.88-160.18), with an attributable protection ratio of 99.2%. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are highly effective in reducing the number of COVID-19-related deaths in over 75-year-olds in Brazil, one of the hardest hit countries by the current pandemic.