Public Health Wales (PHW) recently disclosed that 63% of the test-positive cases of COVID-19 in their jurisdiction are among individuals who have already received their vaccine shots. The national public health agency also revealed that 87% of persons who have been infected with the virus and are currently under hospital care are also vaccinated.
According to a recent statement issued by PHW, 80% of the patients in hospitals are already double-dosed with the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the Welsh health agency stressed that this does not mean that the shots are not working.
It pointed out that while vaccines are designed to prevent the serious health effects of the virus, it is still possible that vaccinated individuals may still catch it but with a significantly lesser risk of severe illness and complications. This is especially true with older persons and those with underlying health conditions.
PHW’s consultant epidemiologist, Dr. Chris Williams, said that most hospitalized patients are older persons who were administered two total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Besides underlying health conditions, he also pointed out other critical reasons for their hospitalization, like their increased clinical vulnerability and various co-morbidities.
Moreover, Williams highlighted that the hospital admission rate is 53 per 100,000 of the population among unvaccinated individuals compared to 32 per 100,000 for those persons who have yet to receive their COVID-19 jabs.
Williams emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated and related that it is “the single best thing you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.”
But with the current figures of vaccinated individuals ending up in the hospital more than their unvaccinated counterparts, getting the COVID-19 vaccine shot is not as motivating as Dr. Williams describes it to be.
