WHO Research Says COVID-19 Still Serious, But Vaccines Offer Strong Protection - Video

The COVID-19 story isn't over yet, though the chaotic days of global lockdowns are long behind us, the virus continues to quietly send thousands to hospitals across Europe and neighbouring regions.

A new analysis led by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe reveals that COVID-19 may have lost its pandemic panic, but not its punch. The study highlights how timely booster doses still play a vital role in preventing severe illness, intensive care admissions, and deaths.

Between May 2023 and April 2024, scientists from the European Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Vaccine Effectiveness (EuroSAVE) network tracked nearly 4,000 hospital patients admitted with acute respiratory infections across Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Using standardized hospital surveillance data, they examined the proportion of infections caused by COVID-19 and assessed outcomes based on patients’ vaccination status and recent booster history.

Their results paint a sobering picture. Even after the pandemic was declared over, COVID-19 still accounted for about 10% of acute respiratory admissions. Alarmingly, only 3% of these hospitalized patients had received a COVID vaccine dose within the previous year. Among those infected, 13% required intensive care, and 11% did not survive—figures that underscore the virus’s enduring danger, particularly for those without recent vaccination. Comparative analysis also showed that COVID-19 patients were more likely than influenza patients to need supplemental oxygen, intensive care, or succumb to their illness.

But the findings also carry optimism. One EuroSAVE study reported that staying “up to date” with a COVID booster—meaning a shot within the past six months—offered 72% protection against hospitalization and 67% against the most severe outcomes, including ICU admission and death. A broader, multi-country analysis supported these results, showing that recent vaccination reduced hospitalization risk by roughly 60%.

This evidence offers a clear message: COVID-19 may be less disruptive than before, but it’s far from harmless. Keeping vaccinations current remains one of the most effective shields against severe disease and hospital burden across Europe and beyond.

REFERENCE: COVID-19 still causes severe disease, but up-to-date vaccines are effective, new research shows; World Health Organization; https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/31-12-2025-covid-19-still-causes-severe-disease--but-up-to-date-vaccines-are-effective--new-research-shows