Recent C19 Deaths Mostly Among the Unvaccinated. NewsWire

NewsWire: 7/2/21

• Nearly all Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. are now among the unvaccinated. The number of deaths per day now averages 300, down from the peak average of 3,400 a day in January 2021. (Associated Press)
• NH: In recent weeks, many public officials have claimed that most Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been among the unvaccinated. This claim is based on an AP analysis of CDC data from May onwards.
• What do the data show? For the entire month, a total of 107,000 Covid-19 hospitalizations were reported. Of that number, fewer than 1,200 were vaccinated. There were also 18,000 Covid-19 deaths in May. Just 150 of these deaths were among the vaccinated. In other words, 99% of hospitalizations and deaths were among unvaccinated Americans. 
• The CDC refers to infections in vaccinated people as breakthrough cases. Only 47 US states and territories track them, so it's possible there are more than reported. But it's also possible that the number of breakthrough cases has been overstated, given that a quarter of these hospitalizations and deaths were labeled by the CDC as "not related to Covid-19." In any case, 4,000 breakthrough cases is a staggeringly low count when you consider that over 150M Americans have by now been vaccinated
• IMO, the numbers speak for themselves. The vaccine is working and saving lives. If anything, the worst is yet to come for those who decline the shot. The Delta variant, which is clearly more contagious than the original wild-type virus, is rapidly spreading in unvaccinated communities. What's more, a growing body of research on "long Covid" is showing severe side effects months after infection, including 60% higher age-adjusted mortality over the next six months among those who have recovered. (See "Demography Q&A.")
• I cannot dispense medical advice. But I can repeat public health advisories: Please, if you haven't yet done so, get your shot.