Nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in our country right now are among the unvaccinated.
According to the CDC, more than 47% of the U.S. is fully vaccinated, but more than 99% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who have yet to get a shot.
“We have observed a direct correlation with the vaccination rate and the decrease rate of hospitalizations,” said Dr. Phil Stahel, medical director at Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado. “Those few patients [we have here] are young, really sick, and almost without exception not vaccinated.”
CDC data shows only 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID deaths in the United States in May were among fully vaccinated people, and since the vaccine rolled out in December, only 608 people have died due to COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
Further data shows that hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people are around 3,500 since December.
The point is, according to Dr. Stahel, the vaccine works.
“Recently, we had a young gentleman in his mid-30’s, father of a young family, four young children, and he was signed up to get the vaccine one week later and he [died] from COVID in spite of maximum therapy with intubation," Dr. Stahel said.
With new, more contagious and dangerous COVID variants circulating, Dr. Stahel says he wants to keep his focus on the 53% of Americans who are not fully vaccinated.
“Those who are hesitant getting vaccinated, we use the analogy of wearing a seatbelt. A seatbelt does not protect you from potentially dying in a car crash, and the vaccine does not cure COVID. It adds an additional layer of protection," he explained.