Prime Highlights:
- Adults who received at least one dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine had a 25% lower risk of death from all causescompared to unvaccinated individuals.
- Vaccinated individuals had a 74% lower risk of dying from severe COVID-19, highlighting the strong protective effect of vaccines.
Key Facts:
- The study tracked 28 million French adults aged 18 to 59over a median of 45 months, making it the largest long-term vaccine safety study in Europe.
- Researchers found no increase in deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, accidents, or other major causesamong vaccinated participants.
Background:
Adults who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine were significantly less likely to die from any cause compared with those who remained unvaccinated, according to a large new study conducted in France.
The research, which analysed health data from nearly 28 million adults aged 18 to 59, found that vaccinated individuals had a 25 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality over a four-year follow-up period. The findings add strong evidence to the long-term safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and counter concerns about potential delayed health risks.
The study showed that vaccination provided particularly strong protection against severe COVID-19. Researchers reported a 74 per cent reduction in deaths linked to severe infection among vaccinated adults. They also noted that lower rates of serious illness and possible reductions in complications related to long COVID-19 may have contributed to the overall decrease in mortality.
Conducted by Epi-Phare, a scientific group overseen by France’s medicines safety agency and the national health insurance system, the research used data from the French National Health Data System. The analysis included 22.7 million vaccinated individuals and 5.9 million unvaccinated adults who were tracked for a median period of 45 months beginning in late 2021.
Over the course of the study, 98,429 deaths from all causes were recorded among vaccinated participants, representing 0.4 per cent of the group. In comparison, 32,662 deaths, or 0.6 per cent, occurred among unvaccinated individuals.
Importantly, the researchers found no increase in deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, accidents, or any other major causes. In every category examined, mortality rates were either similar or lower among vaccinated adults.
The authors concluded that a direct link between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and increased long-term mortality is highly unlikely. While the findings apply only to adults under 60, the study is the largest to date examining the long-term safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in the general population.
