Vaccine Efficacy Impact Calculator

Turn study efficacy into real-world impact estimates now. Adjust coverage, risk, and variant reduction factors. See prevented cases, hospital loads, and lives saved quickly.


Calculator inputs

Use percentages for rates and efficacy. Values are clamped to valid ranges.
Total people in the target population.
% infected over the chosen time window.
Shown in the result summary.
Share of population vaccinated.
Relative reduction in infection risk.
Reduces efficacy due to variant mismatch.
Reduces efficacy over time since dose.
% of infections becoming severe outcomes.
% of infections leading to hospitalization.
% of infections resulting in death.
Direct medical or response cost per case.
Direct cost per hospitalization admission.
CSV
After submitting, results appear above this form under the header.

Example data table

This sample shows typical inputs and outputs for one scenario.
Population Attack rate Coverage Efficacy Adjusted efficacy Cases averted Hospitalizations averted Deaths averted
100,000 10% 70% 85% 57.8% 4,043 40.4 4.04
Example assumes immune escape 20%, waning 15%, hospitalization 1%, death 0.1%.

Formula used

Core steps are deterministic and transparent.
  • Baseline risk: risk = attack_rate / 100
  • Adjusted efficacy: VE_eff = VE × (1 − immune_escape) × (1 − waning)
  • Vaccinated risk: risk_v = risk × (1 − VE_eff)
  • Expected cases (no vaccine): cases0 = N × risk
  • Expected cases (with vaccine): cases1 = (N×cov)×risk_v + (N×(1−cov))×risk
  • Averted cases: cases_averted = cases0 − cases1
  • Outcomes: multiply cases by your outcome rates (severe, hospitalization, death).
  • NNV: NNV = 1 / (risk − risk_v) (among vaccinated; “NA” if ARR is zero).

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter population size and baseline attack rate for your time window.
  2. Set coverage and efficacy using your study or surveillance estimates.
  3. Optionally adjust efficacy for immune escape and waning effects.
  4. Add outcome rates to translate infections into clinical impact.
  5. Submit to view results above, then export CSV or PDF.
This tool is educational and uses simplified assumptions. It does not model transmission dynamics, indirect protection, or changing behavior.

Evidence context and practical interpretation

This calculator translates trial or surveillance efficacy into population impact. It combines baseline attack rate, vaccine coverage, and adjusted efficacy to estimate prevented infections, severe outcomes, and direct costs. Outputs are scenario estimates, so document the sources, dates, and denominators used for each input.

Baseline risk drives absolute impact

Absolute reductions scale with exposure. If attack rate rises from 5% to 15% in a 100,000 population, expected infections triple. With unchanged coverage and efficacy, averted cases also roughly triple, which can shift staffing and bed needs. When risk is low, the same efficacy produces smaller absolute gains, even though relative protection is similar.

Coverage shapes community totals

Coverage partitions the population into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. At 70% coverage, most infections may still occur in the unvaccinated group when baseline risk is high. Raising coverage from 60% to 80% can reduce expected cases materially even if efficacy is unchanged. Use coverage aligned to the same period as the attack rate, especially during rollouts.

Adjusted efficacy reflects real-world pressure

Immune escape and waning reduce observed protection. The model applies multiplicative reductions, so an 85% study efficacy with 20% immune escape and 15% waning becomes about 57.8% effective. Small changes in these modifiers can alter NNV and workload projections. If booster doses are planned, test alternative waning values to compare timing options.

Outcome rates convert infections to burden

Clinical rates translate infections into severe outcomes, hospitalizations, and deaths. For example, a 1% hospitalization rate means 100 admissions per 10,000 infections. When cases fall, downstream events fall proportionally, supporting scenario planning for oxygen, ICU, and follow-up capacity. Use local age mix when available because outcome rates can vary widely by cohort.

Cost inputs support budget discussions

Direct costs are estimated as cases plus hospitalizations times your unit costs. If average cost per case is 15 and per hospitalization is 800, preventing 4,000 cases and 40 admissions yields roughly 92,000 in avoided direct costs. Use consistent currency and document assumptions. Costs here exclude program delivery and productivity impacts, so treat results as a conservative accounting view. Export the CSV to compare multiple scenarios side by side in one worksheet.

FAQs

1) What does “effective efficacy” mean?

It is the study efficacy reduced by immune escape and waning modifiers. The calculator multiplies these reductions to approximate real-world protection during your selected period.

2) Why can cases still be high with strong efficacy?

If baseline attack rate is high or coverage is modest, many people remain exposed. Absolute case counts depend on risk and coverage, not efficacy alone.

3) What is NNV and how should I use it?

NNV is the number of vaccinations needed to prevent one infection among vaccinated people. Lower values indicate higher absolute benefit under the assumed baseline risk.

4) Do outcome rates represent vaccine protection against severity?

No. Outcome rates are applied to estimated infections to convert them into events. If you have separate efficacy against severe disease, model it by lowering the severe, hospitalization, or death rates for the vaccinated group externally.

5) How should I choose immune escape and waning values?

Use published effectiveness updates, local sequencing information, and time-since-dose distributions. Run best-case and worst-case scenarios to understand sensitivity.

6) What are the limitations of this calculator?

It is a static scenario tool. It does not simulate transmission, indirect protection, clustering, behavior changes, or competing risks. Treat outputs as planning ranges, not predictions.

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Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.