Researches have criticised "aggressive mandates" after new analysis found Covid vaccines saved far fewer lives than what was first believed.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed the jab prevented 14.4 million deaths globally in the first year alone, while some estimates put the number towards 20 million.
However, a study by Stanford University alongside Italian researches, suggests that while the vaccine did undoubtedly save lives, the true figure is "substantially more conservative".
Over the course of the entire pandemic, the number is closer to 2.5 million worldwide.
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|Researches have found the Covid vaccine saved fewer lives than first thought
The team estimated that nine of 10 deaths which were prevented came in the over-60s age group while jabs saved just 299 people under 20.
It also found it saved 1,808 people between 20 and 30 worldwide.
The numbers found 5,400 needed to be vaccinated to save one life but in the age groups under 30 the figure rose to 100,000 jabs.
Researches said "aggressive mandates and the zealotry to vaccinate everyone at all cost were probably a bad idea".
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|The study was conducted by Stanford University and Italian researchers
The researchers added that the findings had implications for how future vaccines would be rolled out.
Stanford University Professor of Medicine John Ioannidis said: "I think early estimates were based on many parameters having values that are incompatible with our current understanding".
“In principle, targeting the populations who would get the vast majority of the benefit and letting alone those with questionable risk-benefit and cost-benefit makes a lot of sense."
More than 13 billion Covid vaccines have been administered since 2021.
It comes as concerns have been raised about the vaccines being harmful for certain people, particularly those in the younger age groups and whether the risk outweighed the benefits.
More than 17,500 people in the UK have applied for the Government's vaccine damage payment scheme, claiming they or loved ones were injured by the jab.
Manufacturers in June added warnings for myocarditis and pericarditis to Covid-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines' prescribing information.
To come to their findings, researchers used global population data as well as vaccine effectiveness and infection fatality rates.
The research was conducted to estimate how many people died from a Covid infection before or after the periods of vaccination.