Unvaxxed 30X More Likely To Die: Marin Health Officer

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Unvaccinated people are 30 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, Marin’s top health official said earlier this week.

The unvaccinated are 15 times more likely to be infected and 49 times more likely to require hospitalization for the coronavirus, Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said Tuesday during a presentation before the Board of Supervisors.

"This is an important way for our community members to recognize the benefit of vaccine in terms of protecting against being infected, being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19," Willis told the board.

As of Thursday, 93.4 percent of eligible Marin residents 12 years of age and older have completed their vaccine series and 98.0 percent of county residents have received at least one jab, and 12.9 percent have received a third booster dose, according to the county's vaccination dashboard.

Marin tops the state with 81.3 percent of all residents (including those under 12) fully vaccinated, and the North Bay county ranks fifth in the nation among all counties (regardless of population), The New York Times reports.

Marin was the nation's most vaccinated county among those with a population over 250,000, according to data compiled earlier this year by The San Francisco Chronicle.

Willis said county officials are planning for state and federal emergency use approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11 by Nov. 5 and 6.

Following that approval, Willis said, the county is aiming to vaccinate 15,000 children, about 75 percent of the county's children in that age range, in the first month after vaccines become available.

The county plans to hold six weekend vaccination clinics for children ages 5-11 at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael, Strawberry Point School in Mill Valley and Novato High School as well as a dozen individual one-day clinics at schools across the county.

— Bay City News and Patch staffer Gideon Rubin contributed to this report