Unveiling the Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Meta-Analysis of Survival Rates Among Patients in the United States Based on Vaccination Status

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 8; p. e43282
• Main Authors: Ikeokwu, Anderson E, Lawrence, Rebecca, Osieme, Egbaoghene D, Gidado, Khalifa M, Guy, Cullen, Dolapo, Oladejo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 10.08.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Bias; Clinical outcomes; COVID-19 vaccines; Immunization; Infections; Infectious Disease; Internal Medicine; Meta-analysis; Mortality; Observational studies; Patients; Public Health; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Software; Systematic review; United States > US
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43282

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a significant number of cases and deaths worldwide. Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure against the disease. This study aimed to assess the mortality rates of COVID-19 patients in the United States and the effectiveness of Pfizer (Pfizer, NY, USA), Moderna (Moderna, MA, USA), and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson, NJ, USA) vaccines in preventing mortality.A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-2020) guidelines. Eligible studies reporting on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines on patient outcomes were included. The search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases. The data were extracted, and risk ratios (RR) were calculated for mortality outcomes. The analysis was performed using Review Manager software, and bias assessments were conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Meta-Analysis tools.A total of seven studies with 21,618,297 COVID-19 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for mortality among unvaccinated patients compared to vaccinated patients was 2.46 (95% CI: 1.71-3.53), indicating that unvaccinated patients were 2.46 times more likely to die from COVID-19.The findings of this study support the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in reducing mortality among infected individuals. Unvaccinated patients had a significantly higher risk of mortality compared to vaccinated patients. Vaccination remains a crucial strategy to mitigate the severity of the disease and reduce mortality rates. Efforts should be made to address vaccine hesitancy and ensure widespread vaccine coverage.