About nine in ten COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania have involved people who are less than fully vaccinated against the virus, according to new data from the state health department.
The data regarding deaths is based on 8,949 deaths attributed to COVID-19 between Jan. 1 and Nov. 2 of this year. Only 954 of the deaths, or 11%, involved people who were fully vaccinated, the state said.
The state defines fully vaccinated people as having the full regimen of doses, usually two, and being at least two weeks past the final dose, which is when full protection is reached.
The state also said 54,617 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 as the main cause through Nov. 1, with only 5,707, or 10%, involving fully vaccinated people.
The data sheds light on so-called “breakthrough” infections among people who are fully vaccinated.
The state said the “data shows the overwhelming majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths were among unvaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, people.”
If further said continued monitoring of the data is necessary to understand if protection is wearing off and if variants are evading the vaccine.
The state began compiling data on breakthroughs in early September. The first batch of data, covering four weeks ending on Oct. 4, found that 24% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 as the main cause were fully vaccinated.
The latest batch, covering 30 days leading up to Nov. 2, found slightly more hospitalizations, 26%, involving fully vaccinated people.
The two most widely-used vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, have been found to be about 90% effective in preventing infection, although protection is believed to fade over time, resulting in boosters being recommended after six months for people 65 and older and younger people with serious medical conditions.
Since the vaccines are less than 100% effective, experts say it’s not a surprise when some vaccinated people become infected. Further, they say as the share of vaccinated people grows, the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated people will increase.
As of Wednesday, 73.3% of Pennsylvanians 18 or older are fully vaccinated, the health department said.
The death analysis is based on 8,949 deaths — only about half the number of COVID-19 deaths recorded in Pennsylvania in 2021.
A health department spokesman said some deaths aren’t included for reasons including reporting lags, discrepancies that prevent matching of death records with vaccination records or positive COVID-19 tests, and because the count only includes people who became infected in 2021.
The full analysis and explanations of methods and data sources can be read here.
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