Vaccine.Photo: Getty
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that unvaccinated adults age 50 and over are muchmore likely to be hospitalizedafter contracting COVID-19 than their vaccinated peers.
Compared to those that received a third shot as a booster, unvaccinated individuals age 65 and older were 49 times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19, while those aged 50 to 64 are 44 times more likely.
In general, unvaccinated adults age 18 and older were 16 times more likely to be hospitalized than individuals of the same age who are fully vaccinated.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty
About 64% of the U.S. population over the age of 5 havereceived two dosesof a COVID-19 vaccine while 75.3% have received at least one dose, according to the CDC. All individuals over the age of 5 are eligible to receive two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
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Vaccine.Getty
Shortly after the outbreak, Moderna announced that a booster of its COVID-19 vaccine offeredincreased antibody levels"37-fold higher than pre-boost levels" against the omicron variant. Pfizer and BioNTech also said their vaccine would providesignificant protectionagainst the new strain.
At the beginning of 2022, the CDCreduced the recommended wait timefor a Pfizer-BioNTech booster from six months after receiving their first two doses to five. The CDC now recommends all individuals age 12 and upreceive a COVID-19 boostershot should they be fully vaccinated.
Like unvaccinated adults ages 50 and up, the CDC said last week thatunimmunized pregnant womenwere more likely to be hospitalized than their inoculated pregnant peers. These individuals, who made up 77% of the cases in pregnant women between December 2020 and October 2021, were also at an increased risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms and newborn deaths.
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 from theCDC,WHOandlocal 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
