The World Health Organisation (WHO) says its new research shows up-to-date vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe COVID-19 illness.
WHO said while the pandemic has officially ended and COVID-19 no longer caused the widespread disruption seen during the global health emergency, studies led by the WHO Regional Office for Europe confirmed that people who received timely booster doses were far less likely to develop severe disease, require intensive care or die.
The findings were based on data from the European Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Vaccine Effectiveness (EuroSAVE) network.
It monitors respiratory infections in hospitals across parts of Europe, the Balkans, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Mark Katz, a Medical Epidemiologist at the WHO regional office, however, said the virus continued to hospitalise and kill people.
“The studies highlight that, while COVID-19 is not leading to the widespread disease we saw during the pandemic, it has still been causing a considerable number of hospitalisations and deaths.”
Between May 2023 and April 2024, nearly 4,000 patients were hospitalised with acute respiratory infections in countries covered by the network.
Almost 10 per cent of those cases were caused by COVID-19, in spite of the pandemic having been declared over.
Among patients hospitalised with COVID-19, just three per cent had received a vaccine dose within the previous 12 months.
The consequences were often severe as 13 per cent of COVID-19 patients required admission to intensive care units, and 11 per cent died.
Comparative research also showed that patients hospitalised with COVID-19 were more likely than those with influenza to need oxygen, intensive care or to succumb to the illness.
By contrast, vaccination offered strong protection.
One EuroSAVE study found that an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine received within the past six months was 72 per cent effective at preventing hospitalisation.
The vaccine was also 67 per cent effective at preventing the most serious outcomes, including ICU admission and death.
In addition, separate multi-country analysis found vaccines reduced COVID-19 related hospitalisations by about 60 per cent.
