Does the trend of U.K. deaths from COVID-19 cast doubt on the vaccines’ efficacy?
The U.K. began administering the first COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. Meanwhile, cases continued to surge to record levels in the following month.
As vaccinated people take weeks to develop full immunity, and it takes time to get the vaccine to all who need it, the impact of vaccines took some time to be realized. It has become much clearer in recent weeks. Deaths from COVID-19 have fallen from around 1,200 a day at the January peak to about 20 per day recently. The U.K. began easing its tight lockdown in mid-April.
U.K. data is not immediately available about so-called “breakthrough” infections of fully-vaccinated people. A small number is to be expected as vaccines are not 100% effective. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control says that as of April 20 it has received reports of 77 deaths related to symptomatic COVID-19 among 87 million vaccinated Americans.