Abstract
Background: Utilising national surveillance data, we investigated the impact of the COVID-19 immunisation campaign on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality between December/2020 and October/2021 in Germany.
Methods: We compared patterns in immunisation coverage, incidence, hospitalisations, and deaths among 12-17, 18-59, and 60+ year-olds and examined these patterns within the context of anti-pandemic measures.
Results: COVID-19 incidence increased in all age groups following the end of lockdown restrictions in March/2021, but as Germany experienced successive peaks in incidence, age groups with higher immunisation coverage experienced successively smaller peaks. Notwithstanding corresponding increases during periods of higher incidence, among those aged 60+ years, COVID-19 related hospitalisations and deaths declined considerably as immunisation coverage increased, despite circulation of virus variants known to cause more severe illness.
Conclusion: Although ecological in nature, this study allows us to demonstrate clear patterns of decline in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Germany during the course of the immunisation campaign.
Keywords: COVID-19; Germany; Immunisation; Public health; Surveillance.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, public health, Surveillance, Germany, immunisation, 【초록키워드】 public health, Coverage, Measures, Germany, morbidity, death, immunisation, age, morbidity and mortality, virus variants, circulation, incidence, group, hospitalisation, lockdown restrictions, COVID-19 incidence, hospitalisations, all age groups, surveillance data, National, Public, Course, examined, investigated, increase, ecological, declined, all age group, lockdown restriction, virus variant, 【제목키워드】 Impact, death, age,