Prognosis

Why Some Nations Have Deadlier Outbreaks With the Same Vaccines

  • Shots suppressed deaths everywhere, but some saw bigger drops
  • Dose intervals, waning immunity played role in outcomes
WATCH: Why do the same vaccines prevent more deaths in some places than others? Rachel Chang dives into one of the great puzzles of the pandemic.(Source: Quicktake)
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It’s one of the great puzzles of the pandemic. Most developed economies are now highly vaccinated with some of the most effective shots on offer, so why are the latest Covid-19 outbreaks more deadly in some places than in others?

While it’s clear vaccines led to a drop in fatalities during the most recent delta variant-driven waves compared with earlier bouts with the virus, some countries saw deaths fall to a greater degree than others, an outcome scientists still don’t have answers for.