Covid Surges In Four Of The Five Most Vaccinated States, But Shots Help Keep Hospitalization, Deaths Down
Robert Hart01:23pm EST
|Dec 16, 2021,|3,781 views
Updated Dec 16, 2021, 03:03pm EST
Topline
Covid-19 cases in the United States are skyrocketing as winter sets in, with some of the most highly vaccinated states—including four of the top five most vaccinated—fighting to contain the country’s worst outbreaks, prompting officials to reinstate restrictions and ramp up booster efforts to ease the burden on struggling hospitals.
Covid cases are soaring in highly vaccinated [+]AFP /AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Of the five states with the highest proportion of residents fully vaccinated against Covid-19, four—Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts, in positions two through five, respectively—are now battling the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country, according to data
collated by the
New York Times.
Rhode Island, with an average of 103 cases per 100,000 people each day over the last seven days, recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, followed by Maine (80 per 100,000 people) in third, Connecticut (74) in fifth and Massachusetts (70) in sixth.
New Hampshire (91 cases per 100,000 people) and Wisconsin (77)—respectively the 12 and 22 most vaccinated states—are facing the second- and fourth-worst outbreaks in the country while the most vaccinated state, Vermont (65), is reporting the 12th-highest Covid surge.
Though fighting some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks, highly vaccinated states have largely managed to keep the worst outcomes of infection at bay and data on hospitalizations and death rates largely shows states with above-average vaccination rates to fare far better than their poorly vaccinated counterparts.
Rhode Island, for example, ranks 23rd in terms of hospitalizations and 26th for fatalities, according to data collated by the
Times, while Maine comes in at 16th and 37th, respectively.
Big Number
202.8 million. That’s how many people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19,
according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 61% of the population. 56.1 million have received a booster dose.
Key Background
Despite high vaccination rates, there are still hundreds of thousands in highly vaccinated regions who have not, for whatever reason, been vaccinated. While breakthrough infections are possible and have increased in recent weeks,
state data show it is
unvaccinated people who are
driving the new surge in cases. They also make up a disproportionate number of coronavirus hospital admissions and deaths.
Colderweather, more indoor gatherings—particularly during the holidays—and
waning immunity among vaccinated people could all be contributing to the surge,
experts say, warning of a winter that could see the delta and omicron variants
collide with a resurgent flu.
Tangent
While vaccination does not provide complete protection against Covid-19 infection, it does make it less
likely and protects against severe illness, hospitalization and death. Studies
suggest this protection, especially against infection, can diminish rapidly over time and in light of new variants like omicron, officials are redoubling booster campaigns to encourage people to top up their immunity. Though highly vaccinated states may be facing more coronavirus cases at the moment, this is not a sign the vaccines are not working. Promisingly, and
in line with earlier waves, hospitalizations and deaths have not risen in step with new infections and data from a variety of sources overwhelmingly shows the benefits of vaccination in reducing the risk of these outcomes. In September (the most up-to-date data available), for example, the CDC
found unvaccinated people were nearly six times more likely to test positive for Covid-19 and 14 times more likely to die from it compared to fully vaccinated people. The Kaiser Family Foundation
estimates 163,000 deaths in the U.S. could have been prevented by vaccination since June this year, consistently ranking the disease among the top ten causes of death this year.
What To Watch For
Hospitalization and death figures can lag behind infection data by a number of weeks. As cases continue to rise—in addition to the spread of the
omicron variant and flu—hospitals across the country could come under greater strain.
