Primary healthcare costs associated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in England

Abstract

Current research on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines has demonstrated their role in reducing hospitalizations and deaths due to SARS-CoV-2. However, evidence regarding the healthcare costs incurred by vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals in the community remains limited, especially in primary care, the first point of access for most patients. This study estimated the total (all-cause) primary healthcare costs for individuals who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) in England between 2020 and 2021. We conducted an economic analysis utilizing electronic primary healthcare records from the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Informatics Digital Hub (ORCHID) database, with costs valued according to NHS tariffs. Exact coarsened matching in a time-varying setting was employed to balance patient characteristics between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Our results indicate that vaccinated individuals who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine incurred significantly lower primary healthcare costs compared to their unvaccinated counterparts. Specifically, at 15 days post-vaccination, vaccinated individuals had total costs that were £47.5 (95 % CI: £42.6 to £52.4) lower. This difference increased to £87.1 (95 % CI: £79.6 to £94.6) at 30 days and £124.0 (95 % CI: £114.3 to £133.7) at 45 days post-vaccination, reflecting a reduction of approximately 33.1 % during this period. These findings carry important implications for healthcare budgeting, resource allocation, and pandemic response policies.