Which vaccination strategy against COVID-19?

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Immunology

Background:

• Supply chain bottlenecks for coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines prompted consideration of dose-sparing strategies.
• Dose-sparing includes strategies like halving vaccine doses or extending intervals between doses.
• This research evaluates vaccination's impact on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of different vaccination strategies in mitigating coronavirus disease 2019 mortality.
• To analyze the influence of vaccine supply stability on pandemic control.
• To examine the impact of dose-sparing strategies on vaccine efficacy.

Main Methods:

• An autoregressive time-series approach was employed.
• A system of simultaneous equations was utilized for analysis.
• Data from five countries with varying vaccination strategies and supply issues were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Vaccination campaigns showed varied success in controlling epidemic deaths across the studied countries.
• Vaccines were found to be effective in reducing the overall death toll.
• No evidence suggested reduced effectiveness of a second vaccine dose with an extended interval.

Conclusions:

• Vaccine administration, especially multiple doses, is effective in reducing virus-related deaths.
• Consistent vaccine supply is a critical determinant of vaccination campaign success.
• The study underscores the importance of robust vaccine production and distribution for public health outcomes.