Although COVID-19 hospitalizations havecontinued to decreaseamid widespread vaccine distribution, unvaccinated people are still at risk of more serious health problems from the virus.
Multiple doctors toldNBC Newsthat the majority of people being admitted to the hospitals that they work for have not been vaccinated. “I haven’t had anyone that’s been fully vaccinated become critically ill,” said Tulane University Medical Center’s Dr. Josh Denson.
“None of our ICU patients has been vaccinated,” added Dr. Ken Lyn-Kew, a pulmonologist who works at Denver’s National Jewish Health, noting that some of his hospitalized patients thought that a previous illness made vaccination unnecessary. (The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionrecommends that everybody get vaccinated against COVID-19, even if they have previously contracted it.)
“They thought they were sick from COVID, but they weren’t. And they have the mindset of, ‘Oh, I don’t need to get vaccinated because of that,’ " Lyn-Kew said. “They’re gravely mistaken.”
Additionally, recent analysis fromThe Washington Postfound that states with lower rates of vaccination have significantly higher rates of hospitalization.
In the United States, 52.5% of the total population have received at least one dose of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines, and 44% are fully vaccinated as of June 10,according to the Centers for Disease Control.
RELATED VIDEO: The Importance of the COVID-19 Vaccine and the Call for ‘Unity’
The new study involved almost 4,000 essential workers who completed weekly testing for 17 weeks from December to April.
Researchers also found that participants who did contract the virus experienced milder symptoms.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
“Fully or partially vaccinated people who developed COVID-19 spent on average six fewer total days sick and two fewer days sick in bed,” the study states. “They also had about a 60 percent lower risk of developing symptoms, like fever or chills, compared to those who were unvaccinated.”
“COVID-19 vaccines are a critical tool in overcoming this pandemic,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, said in a statement. “Findings from the extended timeframe of this study add to accumulating evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective and should prevent most infections — but that fully vaccinated people who still get COVID-19 are likely to have milder, shorter illness and appear to be less likely to spread the virus to others. These benefits are another important reason to get vaccinated.”
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
