Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination in Thailand: Averted Deaths and Severe Infections Across Age Groups
Issued Date
2024-12-01
Resource Type
eISSN
24146366
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85213512818
Journal Title
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume
9
Issue
12
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.9 No.12 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Wilasang C., Suttirat P., Wannigama D.L., Amarasiri M., Chadsuthi S., Modchang C. Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination in Thailand: Averted Deaths and Severe Infections Across Age Groups. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.9 No.12 (2024). doi:10.3390/tropicalmed9120286 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/102622
Title
Impact of COVID-19 Vaccination in Thailand: Averted Deaths and Severe Infections Across Age Groups
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the pivotal role of vaccines in mitigating the devastating impact of the virus. In Thailand, the vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 began on 28 February 2021, initially prioritizing healthcare professionals before expanding into a nationwide effort on 7 June 2021. This study employs a mathematical model of COVID-19 transmission with vaccination to analyze the impact of Thailand’s COVID-19 vaccination program from 1 March 2021 to 31 December 2022. We specifically assess the potential loss of lives and occurrence of severe infections across various age groups in a hypothetical scenario where vaccines were not administered. By fitting our model with officially reported COVID-19 death data, our analysis reveals that vaccination efforts prevented a total of 300,234 deaths (95% confidence interval: 295,938–304,349) and averted 1.60 million severe COVID-19 infections (95% confidence interval: 1.54–1.65 million). Notably, the elderly population over 80 years old benefited the most from vaccination, with an estimated 84,518 lives saved, constituting 4.28% of this age group. Furthermore, individuals aged between 70 and 74 years experienced the highest reduction in severe infections, with vaccination potentially preventing 8.35% of this age bracket from developing severe COVID-19.