Open AccessVaccinating the oldest against COVID-19 saves both the most lives and most years of life
Author(s) -
Joshua R. Goldstein,
Thomas Cassidy,
Kenneth W. Wachter
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2026322118
Subject(s) - life expectancy , covid-19 , falling (accident) , demography , years of potential life lost , vaccination , gerontology , medicine , environmental health , virology , sociology , outbreak , disease , population , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Many competing criteria are under consideration for prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination. Two criteria based on age are demographic: lives saved and years of future life saved. Vaccinating the very old against COVID-19 saves the most lives, but, since older age is accompanied by falling life expectancy, it is widely supposed that these two goals are in conflict. We show this to be mistaken. The age patterns of COVID-19 mortality are such that vaccinating the oldest first saves the most lives and, surprisingly, also maximizes years of remaining life expectancy. We demonstrate this relationship empirically in the United States, Germany, and South Korea and with mathematical analysis of life tables. Our age-risk results, under usual conditions, also apply to health risks.