Hospitalizations Plummet in Scotland After Vaccinations

On Monday, investigators stated that Scotland’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program has led to a steep reduction in hospitalizations, according to data from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland. It was discovered that the Oxford-AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines reduced hospital admissions by 94% and 85% respectively. This information is encouraging and is proving that the shots work in the real world as they did in controlled studies.

In Southern California, the CAL.20C variant of COVID-19 has been linked with a recent surge in cases in the region. The strain originated from a group of viruses that spread from Europe to New York earlier in the course of the pandemic and was first detected in California in July. On January 22nd, CAL.20C accounted for 44% of new cases in Southern California and is distinct from other mutations like the UK and South African variants.

Additionally, a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines have relatively low rates of adverse reactions. Between December 14th and January 13th, there was more than 13.7 million vaccine doses administered with 6,994 reports of adverse events. Of those, 6,354 were deemed non-serious and 640 were classified as serious.

Data Table per Our World in Data (Feb 21, 2021, 12 AM EST)

West Virginia, after a bumpy start in their program, now has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. The state has administered almost 450,000 doses, with more than 9% of its population receiving both shots.

Data Table per CDC COVID-19 Tracker (Feb 21, 2021, 6 AM EST)

For more information on COVID-19 vaccination research, distribution, and assessment, check out some of these recent Contagion stories:

Pfizer Could More Than Double Its Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Production in March

Pfizer, BioNTech Seek FDA Approval Easing Vaccine Temperature Requirements

Higher Efficacy Found With Longer Interval Between Doses of Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine