The study by the Italian Health Institute (ISS) shows the average age of people who died despite being vaccinated was 85. On average they had five underlying illnesses.

The average age of death among those not vaccinated was 78, with four pre-existing conditions.

Cases of heart problems, dementia and cancer were all found to be higher in the sample of deaths among those vaccinated.

The analysis, carried out from Feb. 1 to Oct. 5 this year, studied the medical records of 671 unvaccinated COVID fatalities and 171 fully vaccinated ones.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised that no vaccine is 100% protective.

“Approved COVID-19 vaccines provide a high degree of protection against getting seriously ill and dying from the disease, although no vaccine is 100% protective,”  said WHO in a statement.

The launch of the research comes as a fully vaccinated 49-year-old woman died in Timor-Leste on Sunday, health authorities reported.  The woman suffered chronic kidney problems.

Timor-Leste recorded 21 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, of which 8 were in Dili.