99 Percent of New U.S. COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths Occurring Among Unvaccinated

Unvaccinated people now account for nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the United States, federal government figures show.

An Associated Press analysis of May data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 (0.1 percent) of the more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and only about 150 (0.8 percent) of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Citing limitations in the data, the CDC has not estimated rates of hospitalizations and deaths among fully vaccinated people, but the findings of the data analysis reflect what is being said by many health officials and experts, according to the AP.

Unvaccinated people account for 98 to 99 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, Andy Slavitt, a former adviser to the Biden administration on COVID-19, said earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Rochelle Walensky, M.D., director of the CDC, said COVID-19 vaccination is so effective that "nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19, is, at this point, entirely preventable," and called such deaths "particularly tragic," the AP reported.