Covid: Third dose can reduce coronavirus-linked deaths by 90%, new study shows
1 min read . Updated: 30 Jan 2023, 08:08 PM IST
Premium- These results support the effectiveness of booster doses of vaccines of two different technological platforms in lowering mortality among those with multimorbidity, study said
Even as high-level Covid spread still remains a threat, a new study has revealed that there third booster dose is associated 90% reduction in death people (even those who have health complications) as compared to the first two doses. The study has been conducted by a team of researchers at The University of Hong Kong and it is published in Canadian Medical Association Journal
"We found a substantially reduced risk of COVID-19–related death in adults with multimorbidity who received a homologous booster dose of BNT162b2, an mRNA vaccine, or CoronaVac, an inactivated whole-virus vaccine," said Esther Chan from The University of Hong Kong.
"These results support the effectiveness of booster doses of vaccines of two different technological platforms in lowering mortality among those with multimorbidity amid the Omicron epidemic," Chan said.
For the study, researchers compared data from people aged 18 years or older with two or more chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, who received a third dose between November 2021 and March 2022, compared to people who received only 2 doses.
Hong Kong saw a sharp surge in COVID cases in late 2021 soon after Omicron (BA.2) variant appeared. It reported the highest COVID-19 mortality rate worldwide relative to its population of 7.5 million people. Between, November 2021 and April 2022, the majority of the population received the booster dose.
"Our findings suggest that this timely, massive public health measure has plausibly played a pivotal role in lowering the mortality rate amid the epidemic, especially among people living with multimorbidity," sad Francisco Lai, first author and a scientist at The University of Hong Kong.
The study included 120,724 recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (87 289 who received a booster) and 127,318 CoronaVac recipients (94,977 who received a booster).
The findings "highlight the potential benefit from booster vaccination, specifically in vulnerable populations living with multimorbidity, and support the recent focus on older people and those with chronic conditions for future booster doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines beyond the first booster".
(With inputs from agencies)
