Federal study links coronavirus vaccination to reduced deaths among Ohio seniors

WASHINGTON, D. C. - A new study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates the first five months of last year’s coronavirus vaccine roll-out contributed to a reduction of 12,000 coronavirus cases among Ohio Medicare beneficiaries, reduced hospitalizations among them by 5,300 and reduced deaths by 1,800.

Nationwide, the report from researchers with HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), linked vaccinations to a reduction of 265,000 COVID-19 infections among Medicare beneficiaries, 107,000 hospitalizations, and 39,000 deaths between January and May 2021. The study examined Medicare beneficiaries because an estimated 80% of the 352,000 people who died of coronavirus during the pandemic’s first nine months were aged 65 and older.

During the period the report examined, when vaccinations grew from 1% to 47% among adults 18 to 64 and from 1% to 80% among seniors, the study found an 11-12% decrease in weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths for every 10% increase in county vaccination rates among Medicare beneficiaries, HHS said. By May of 2021, the study said 74.3% of Ohioans 65 and older were vaccinated for coronavirus.

A statement from HHS said the report’s findings underscore why it’s critically important for all eligible individuals living in the United States to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“This report reaffirms what we hear routinely from states: COVID-19 vaccines save lives, prevent hospitalizations, and reduce infection,” said a statement from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

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