Man refusing vaccine.Photo: Getty Images
The AP reported Thursday that only about .8% of deaths related to the virus last month occurred in fully vaccinated people, or about 150 of 18,000 total.
Similarly, 1,200 of the853,000 COVID-19-related hospitalizationsin the U.S. — or around just .1% — were people who were fully vaccinated.
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Person refusing vaccine.Getty Images
The information comes as thehighly contagious Delta variant is spreadingthroughout the nation. In the past week, as of Wednesday, cases from the variant had doubled — up to 20.6% — and federal health experts expect it tobecome the dominant strainover the next few weeks.
First identified in India, the Delta variant has spread faster than other strains and led to more hospitalizations, though it does not appear to be more deadly. Testing also shows that the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are nearly fully effective against the Delta strain, preventing infection in around 94% of fully vaccinated people.
“TheDelta variant is currently the greatest threatin the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,“Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said during a White House briefing on Tuesday.
“The news that’s so important is that the vaccines that we have now, that we’ve done so well in distributing … over 65% of the adult population has received at least one dose. We’re doing well with a vaccine that does quite well against this problematic variant,” Fauci, 80, toldSavannah GuthrieWednesday morning on theTodayshow.
COVID-19 vaccine.APU GOMES/AFP via Getty
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Despite scientists' and health organizations' repeated insistence of the vaccines' efficacy and safety, many — including those in the health-care industry — are still forgoing the shots.
Earlier this month, 178 workers in the Houston Methodist Hospital system were suspended without pay forfailing to comply with their requirementthat all employees get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirement was announced in April, and workers had until June 7 to comply.
After the two-week suspension period,153 employees were either terminated or stepped awayTuesday, a Houston Methodist Hospital system spokesperson told NPR. (A spokesperson for the hospital system did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)
As of Friday morning, more than half of the U.S. population, or 53.7% of Americans, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 45.6% are fully vaccinated,according to the CDC. Of the vaccine-eligible Americans (meaning those aged 12 and up), 62.8% have received at least one dose and 53.3% are fully vaccinated.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources fromCDC,WHO, andlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
