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COVID VACCINE WEEKLY: MORE VACCINATED THAN UNVACCINATED BRITONS ARE NOW DYING
FROM THE CORONAVIRUS

July 15, 2021 7.55pm BST
Rob Reddick, The Conversation


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 1. Rob Reddick
    
    Commissioning Editor, COVID-19


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Coronavirus vaccines lessen the chance of you getting COVID-19 and massively
reduce the risk of developing serious illness and being hospitalised. Yet at the
same time, most COVID-19 deaths in England are now currently among the
vaccinated. Is this a cause for alarm?

Put simply, no, says Kit Yates, senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the
University of Bath. No vaccines are 100% protective, so cases, hospitalisations
and deaths are still to be somewhat expected among those who’ve been jabbed –
and especially in those who are older.

This is because the risk of dying from COVID-19 increases so steeply with age
that even being vaccinated doesn’t lower the risk for older people down to
levels that some younger people experience. Due to their age, a vaccinated
70-year-old is still at greater risk from COVID-19 than an unvaccinated
35-year-old. Given this, it isn’t surprising that more vaccinated people are
dying of COVID-19 than unvaccinated people.

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Read more: Most COVID deaths in England now are in the vaccinated – here's why
that shouldn't alarm you

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What is alarming is that cases are currently spiking disproportionately in
younger people in the UK, with this no doubt being partly due to vaccine
coverage in younger age groups being lower. Vaccine uptake in younger people has
slowed. However, one strategy to boost young people’s willingness to take a
vaccine could be to get them more involved in their local community, research
suggests.

When people feel a sense of belonging to a group, this can boost healthy
behaviours, particularly if they grow to feel an obligation to that group,
writes Juliet Wakefield, senior lecturer in social psychology at Nottingham
Trent University. This can include taking a COVID-19 vaccine. A new study shows
that people who felt a stronger connection to their local community, and so felt
a greater obligation to protect other community members, were more willing to
get vaccinated. Initiatives that build bonds between people and their community
– such as volunteering – therefore could end up raising vaccine uptake.

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Read more: COVID-19: how a sense of community can increase vaccine uptake

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This is our weekly round-up of expert information about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The Conversation, a not-for-profit group, works with a wide range of academics
across its global network to produce evidence-based analysis and insights. Get
more regular updates from trusted experts by subscribing to our free newsletter
.

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Another driver of uptake might be vaccine passports. Proof of COVID-19
vaccination might be needed for all sorts of activities in the future, from
international travel to attending public events. Many people aren’t keen on
this, given that previously such activities were much less restricted, but like
them or loathe them, these passports are fair, argues Simon Kolstoe, university
ethics advisor at the University of Portsmouth. Providing, of course, that
everyone has access to a vaccine.

In the UK, this isn’t a problem. While the majority of the world’s countries are
still well short of having the doses they need to fully immunise their
populations, Britain has sufficient supplies to consider launching an autumn
vaccine booster programme. In this, those most at risk from COVID-19 would be
given a third vaccine dose to bolster their immunity.

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Read more: Are COVID-19 vaccine passports fair?

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But the problem is that there isn’t clear evidence that these boosters are
needed, writes Sheena Cruickshank, professor in biomedical sciences at the
University of Manchester. The protection offered by two vaccine doses hasn’t
shown signs of dropping off, and the current vaccines still guard well against
the worst effects of COVID-19 despite the emergence of new variants. It would be
better for Britain to give these doses to countries where vaccine coverage
currently is low.

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Read more: COVID-19 vaccine boosters: is a third dose really needed?

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That said, we don’t know what the future will hold. A new variant – lambda – has
started spreading across the globe, with eight cases having been recorded in the
UK. It’s unclear yet whether it is more transmissible, deadly or evasive than
other variants, but if it is, taking steps to boost people’s protection might
suddenly seem like a good idea.

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Read more: COVID: lambda variant is now in 29 countries, but what evidence do we
have that it's more dangerous?

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