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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Does the trend of U.K. deaths from COVID-19 cast doubt on the vaccines’ efficacy?

By Lisa Freedland
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NO

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.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
GOV.UK Coronavirus deaths in the United Kingdom
GOV.UK Coronavirus vaccinations in the United Kingdom
The BMJ Is vaccination roll out reducing cases and deaths in the UK?
CNBC 4 charts show how the UK’s coronavirus vaccine rollout is starting to work
US Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 breakthrough investigations and reporting
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.