A Cost–Benefit Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccination in Catalonia

Abstract

(1) Background: In epidemiological terms, it has been possible to calculate the savings in health resources and the reduction in the health effects of COVID vaccines. Conducting an economic evaluation, some studies have estimated its cost-effectiveness; the vaccination shows highly favorable results, cost-saving in some cases. (2) Methods: Cost–benefit analysis of the vaccination campaign in the North Metropolitan Health Region (Catalonia). An epidemiological model based on observational data and before and after comparison is used. The information on the doses used and the assigned resources (conventional hospital beds, ICU, number of tests) was extracted from administrative data from the largest primary care provider in the region (Catalan Institute of Health). A distinction was made between the social perspective and the health system. (3) Results: the costs of vaccination are estimated at 137 million euros (€48.05/dose administered). This figure is significantly lower than the positive impacts of the vaccination campaign, which are estimated at 470 million euros (€164/dose administered). Of these, 18% corresponds to the reduction in ICU discharges, 16% to the reduction in conventional hospital discharges, 5% to the reduction in PCR tests and 1% to the reduction in RAT tests. The monetization of deaths and cases that avoid sequelae account for 53% and 5% of total savings, respectively. The benefit/cost ratio is estimated at 3.4 from a social perspective and 1.4 from a health system perspective. The social benefits of vaccination are estimated at €116.67 per vaccine dose (€19.93 from the perspective of the health system). (4) Conclusions: The mass vaccination campaign against COVID is cost-saving. From a social perspective, most of these savings come from the monetization of the reduction in mortality and cases with sequelae, although the intervention is equally widely cost-effective from the health system perspective thanks to the reduction in the use of resources. It is concluded that, from an economic perspective, the vaccination campaign has high social returns.

Multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies and COVID-19 vaccines: a practical review and meta-analysis

“…For the pwMS and in terms of efficacy, head-to-head comparisons of the available COVID-19 vaccines reveals the superiority of mRNA-1237 over BNT162b2 (both mRNA-based)14 20 58—probably due to higher concentrations of active material—BNT162b2 and mRNA-1237 (mRNA) over ChAdOx1 and Ad26.COV2.S (AV),11 17 24 43 and BNT162b2 (mRNA) over CoronaVac (inactivated)16—although humoral immunisation did not differ significantly in pwMS on aCD20 receiving BNT162b2 and CoronaVac in Ozakbas et al 16 study. The choice of a specific vaccine type among pwMS is encouraged and should be based on an individualised risk/benefit assessment with careful consideration of their COVID-19 risk factor profile,59 60 their DMT and the availability/cost-effectiveness of the vaccine 61 62…”

Multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies and COVID-19 vaccines: A practical review and meta-analysis

“…Head-to-head comparisons of the available COVID-19 vaccines’ humoral immunogenicity among pwMS reveals the superiority of mRNA-1237 over BNT162b2 (both mRNA-based) 20,25,63 – probably due to higher concentrations of active material, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1237 (mRNA) over ChAdOx1 and Ad26.COV2 (AV) 17,23,29,49 and BNT162b2 (mRNA) over CoronaVac (inactivated) 22 – although humoral immunization did not differ significantly in pwMS on aCD20 receiving BNT162b2 and CoronaVac in Ozakbas et al 22 study. The choice of a specific vaccine type among pwMS is encouraged and should be based on an individualized risk/benefit assessment with careful consideration of their COVID-19 risk factor profile 64,65 , their DMT, and the availability/cost-effectiveness of the vaccine 66,67 .…”

Avoidable intensive care unit resource use and costs of unvaccinated patients with COVID-19: a historical population-based cohort study

“… 18 , 19 Similar data on the broad patient, health system, and society benefits of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 from varying jurisdictions have now been shown. 18 , 20 , 21 In a modelling study of the Italian population, widespread vaccination was predicted to effectively reduce hospitalizations by 74.9% (2,379,144 hospitalizations avoided) and ICU admissions by 71.3% (259,224 ICU admissions avoided), and over EUR 2.9 billion (CAD 3.95 billion) in avoided healthcare costs in 2021. 21 In an economic modelling study in the USA, widespread SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was estimated to generate USD 5 trillion (CAD 6.1 trillion) in societal economic benefits.…”