Here's How Many MA COVID Hospitalizations Are Among Unvaccinated

MASSACHUSETTS — The vast majority of hospitalizations in Massachusetts due to COVID-19 are among unvaccinated people, according to statistics available from the Department of Public Health.

Over the past month, 76 percent of the 2,609 statewide hospitalizations due to the virus were among persons who had not received the shot. That's from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, the dates of weekly state reports on coronavirus among vaccinated residents.

In that same period, roughly two-thirds of the state's residents were fully vaccinated, which means those without the vaccine faced three times the risk of ending up in the hospital.

Cases and deaths show the same trend, with roughly 38 percent of cases and deaths being among the vaccinated in September.

As of Thursday, 179 of the state's 562 hospitalized coronavirus patients were vaccinated, or 31.9 percent.

No vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing the virus, but the COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be significantly more effective than the average seasonal flu vaccine, which typically stops about 40 percent of cases.

The case for the vaccine is strengthened by the demographics of the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations: the unvaccinated include all residents under 12, who are not eligible to get the shot. That group is also the least vulnerable to the virus. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate is highest among the elderly, who face the highest risk of hospitalization and death from the virus.

According to CDC data, 68.5 of Massachusetts residents have been vaccinated. No COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for children under 12.

In recent weeks, all coronavirus metrics in the state have begun to fall, with the positive rate falling below 2 percent. As of Friday, the seven-day average positive test rate was 1.8 percent.