How many vaccinations does it take to stop COVID-19 restrictions?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-06-02 09:01

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Vaccinating 40 per cent of a major city population could have the same effectiveness as COVID-19 restrictions in reducing the spread of the virus, according to Mexican researchers. The team used metapopulation modelling to predict COVID-19 spread in Mexico City in 2021 based on how many vaccinations could be rolled out in the first half of the year. They found a 40 per cent fully vaccinated population would have similar protection to a city under restrictions if the vaccine was at least 80 per cent effective. If 30 per cent of the population was vaccinated by mid 2021 and restrictions remained, the model predicted very low COVID-19 numbers by the end of the year if the vaccine was 90 per cent effective.