New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights the level of protection against hospitalization due to COVID-19 at various levels of vaccination, including not being vaccinated. The CDC maps further demonstrate how important it is for humans to prioritize vaccinations as one of the first line of defense against infection in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus seized the US at the end of 2021. With the spread came rapid increases in hospitalization rates, and the number of cases increased to staggering numbers, showing that the variant was effective in making people who were fully vaccinated sick. But the Show CDC Cards that the rates of hospitalization were still dramatically lower among people who were vaccinated than those who remained unvaccinated.
The term “fully vaccinated” refers to those who received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of Moderna or Pfizer.
In December, hospitalization rates among adults who were not vaccinated were 16 times higher than those who were fully vaccinated. “From 25 December, the rate is [of hospitalization] among unvaccinated people was 78 per 100,000, compared to 4 per 100,000 among fully vaccinated people, the CDC reported, “according to Business Insider.
The risks of being vaccinated were greater for older people. Unvaccinated adults 50 years of age and older were 18 times more likely to be admitted with COVID-related complications than those who were fully vaccinated.
For children between the ages of 12 and 17, the risk of not being vaccinated was lower, with monthly rates of COVID-associated hospitalizations eight times higher in unvaccinated adolescents than in those who were fully vaccinated. But there is still a noticeable difference between those who have been fully vaccinated and those who have remained unvaccinated.
CDC
For December, data on how effective the boosters against Omicron were were only available to people older than 50. These data show that a booster dose significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization. Unvaccinated adults between the ages of 50-64 were 46 times more likely to be admitted with COVID than those who received a boost. And for adults 65 and older, those who were not vaccinated were 52 times more likely to be admitted with COVID than those who received a boost.
These hospitalization figures reflect data collected in other countries, including the United Kingdom. And this is another piece of evidence that shows how essential vaccinations are to keep our healthcare system going.
