Peru: COVID-19 mortality rate 3 times higher among unvaccinated people during third wave

According to the analysis in the general population, it can be witnessed that the COVID-19 mortality rate during the third wave's peak —caused by the Omicron variant— was three times higher among unvaccinated people in relation to those vaccinated with three doses.

The INS explained that high vaccination coverage rates in Peru have contributed to the fact that, during the third wave, the number of deaths has been low compared to the previous waves.

However, there are still thousands of people who have not completed their vaccination schedule. If those citizens remain unprotected, they might suffer from severe illness and even die.

In this sense, and in order to monitor the contribution of vaccines to pandemic control, the INS monitors mortality rates according to the vaccination status of population groups, dividing them into people who have received second or third doses and people who have not received vaccines against COVID-19.

These analyzes are carried out based on vaccination records by Minsa; diagnostic records crafted by the INS and Minsa; and death records issued by Minsa.

Thus, another important finding in the latest analysis is that unvaccinated people aged above 60 had a mortality rate 6.5 times higher than those who had received three doses.

The INS recalled that two doses had not been not enough to rely on adequate protection during the third wave, adding that in the future it will most likely remain this way. Thus, it is necessary to receive the third dose.

In addition, in a preliminary calculation of the effectiveness of the administered vaccines, it is observed that as months go by, following the administration of the second dose and the appearance of variants that evade the immunity produced by vaccines and previous infection, the effectiveness of the two-dose vaccine series is decreasing in preventing deaths —especially among those over 60 years of age by around 50% after six months.

However, this effectiveness is regained with the administration of the third dose by reaching a protection rate of almost 90% —regardless of whether people have received AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Sinopharm doses in the initial series.