ONE in five Covid-19 deaths in poorer countries could have been prevented if global vaccine targets had been met during the first year of the jab rollout, new research suggests. 

A study led by academics at Imperial College London estimates that almost 20 million lives around the world were saved thanks to Covid jabs in the 12 months from December 8, 2020 – when the first vaccine was administered outside of clinical trials. 

But more deaths were prevented in wealthy nations, with an estimated 12.2 million lives saved in high and upper-middle income countries, the experts said.