Nearly half of Pennsylvania's COVID deaths were preventable, per analysis

Vaccines could have prevented nearly half of Pennsylvania's more than 28,000 COVID-19 deaths between January 2021 and last month, based on a new analysis of public health data from Brown University's School of Public Health.

Driving the news: Researchers crafted a model illustrating what could have happened if 100% of American adults were fully vaccinated and boosted once the shots became available.

• The study used real-world data from the CDC and the New York Times, while considering variables like supply and vaccine effectiveness over time.

The big picture: Researchers estimate that vaccines could have prevented roughly 319,000 COVID deaths across the country, Axios' Tina Reed reports.

• Meanwhile, the U.S. COVID death toll officially surpassed 1 million people this week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Zoom in: More than 28,207 Pennsylvania residents have died since vaccines were released, according to state data.

• An estimated 69% of Pennsylvania residents are fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times tracker.
• Philly's vaccination rate for ages 12 and older is 76%, according to city data. For children ages 5-11, less than a third are fully vaccinated.

What they're saying: "At a time when many in the U.S. have given up on vaccinations, these numbers are a stark reminder of the effectiveness of vaccines in fighting this pandemic," co-author Stefanie Friedhoff said in the analysis.