Tsiodras: Without vaccination 8,400 more people would have died in Greece since pandemic started

In a nationally televised briefing today, Professor of Epidemiology Sotiris Tsiodras presented the findings of a large-scale study that he conducted on the impact of the vaccination rollout in Greece on the number of COVID-19 deaths and ICU admissions and intubations.

Tsiodras said that based on the models used in the study, the vax programme in Greece saved approximately 8,400 lives and avoided 5,560 ICU admissions and 5,530 intubations up until October 11, when the study was completed.

The study, which was conducted at large hospitals nationwide, examined the antibodies and immunity of vaccinated individuals and of people who had fallen ill with COVID-19.

Tsiodras said the study was conducted because of the need for Greece to have its own data on the effectiveness of vaccines and in order to address certain scientific observations that lead to misconceptions.

He also said that if 95 percent of the population had been vaccinated [a rate which no country has achieved] by mid-July, there would have been 1,200 fewer COVID-19 deaths in the country.

Tsiodras noted that as the rate of vaccination rises one will see a larger number of infections of vaccinated individuals, but that does not mean that the vaccines are ineffective, as the chances of an unvaccinated person being infected is eleven times higher than for someone who is vaccinated.