MADISON (WQOW) — New data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows just how much more likely you are to be hospitalized with COVID-19, or even die if you choose not to get vaccinated.
The data shows that people who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are more than 4 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 compared to those who are fully vaccinated. The data shows per 100,000 people, 4.9 who are fully vaccinated are hospitalized. That number is 18.2 for unvaccinated people, 3.7 times as high.
More people who have been vaccinated are contracting COVID-19 than before, but still at half the rate of those who are not vaccinated. Per 100,000 people, 125.4 of them who are vaccinated either had, or likely had, COVID-19. The number for unvaccinated is 369.2.
Those numbers show the impact the delta variant surge has had even on people who are vaccinated. In June, there were only 14.4 (per 100,000) people who were vaccinated and contracted COVID-19. That is 8 times lower than the newest data from the state. Among unvaccinated, the number was 82.8 people, 4.5 times lower.
“The increase in cases we are seeing in Wisconsin right now is being largely driven by the delta variant, and the overwhelming majority of people who are contracting COVID have not been fully vaccinated. With the original strain of COVID-19, an infected person was likely to infect two other people, who were then likely to infect two additional people for a total of six cases from one infection. With the delta variant, an infected person is likely to infect about five people, who are then likely to infect 25 people for a total of 30 cases from one infection,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “The COVID-19 vaccines are still doing their job by stopping the spread of many new infections, and by preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death.”
The DHS data also shows 10 times as many people who are unvaccinated have died compared to those who are vaccinated. Per 100,000 people, the death rate is 0.1 for vaccinated people. For unvaccinated people, the number is 1.1 per 100,000.
See all the data here.