ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Data from 25 states clearly shows the vast majority of people testing positive and being hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, supporting what national and local health care leaders have said.
While it's true so-called "breakthrough cases" occur among people vaccinated against COVID-19, no evidence has been found across the country that these cases make up for even a moderate percentage of people testing positive, being hospitalized or dying.
The Kaiser Family Foundation compiled data from 25 states regarding COVID-19 breakthrough cases.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found the rate of breakthrough cases reported among fully vaccinated people was way below 1 percent. The rates across all 25 states would range from as low as 0.01 percent to 0.29 percent.
When it comes to fully vaccinated people being hospitalized for COVID-19, KFF says they discovered the rate of hospitalizations ranged from effectively zero percent to 0.06 percent. Deaths, they say, were even lower — only two states (Arkansas and Michigan) reported that 0.01 percent of COVID-related deaths were among fully vaccinated people.
The recent wave of cases and hospitalizations is being described as a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," by top health experts. And the data KFF found once again backs that up.
Across all 25 states, researchers say the rate of hospitalizations among unvaccinated people ranged from 95.02 percent to 99.93 percent. Deaths ranged from 96.91 percent to 99.91 percent.
According to the latest reported data from the Florida Department of Health, 65 percent of Floridians are vaccinated against COVID-19. However, that number fluctuates from county to county.
Here in Tampa Bay, counties like Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee have vaccination rates of 60 percent or above.
Hospital systems like AdventHealth West Florida Division say more than 90 percent of hospitalized COVID patients are unvaccinated. BayCare Health System says thousands have been hospitalized for COVID-19 across its 14 hospitals — "the majority" of which are not vaccinated.
In Tampa General Hospital, 84 percent of COVID patients are unvaccinated. The hospital says many vaccinated COVID patients are immunocompromised, which includes transplant and cancer patients.
COVID-19 shots weren’t studied in large numbers of people with weak immune systems. But limited data and experience with flu and pneumonia vaccines suggest they won’t work as well as they do in others. That's why a CDC panel is recommending an extra dose for those who do have compromised immune systems.