Unvaccinated Have Highest SARS-CoV-2 Incidence, Hospitalization

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 incidence and hospitalization rates are consistently higher for unvaccinated persons, and rates are lowest for those fully vaccinated with a booster, according to research published in the Feb. 1 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Phoebe Danza, M.P.H., from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and colleagues describe age-adjusted 14-day cumulative incidence and hospitalization rates during Nov. 7, 2021, to Jan. 8, 2022, by COVID-19 vaccination status and variant predominance.

The researchers found that the incidence and hospitalization rates, respectively, among unvaccinated persons were 12.3 and 83.0 times those of fully vaccinated persons with a booster and 3.8 and 12.9 times those of fully vaccinated persons without a booster, for the 14-day period ending Dec. 11, 2021, which was the last week of delta predominance. During omicron predominance (week ending Jan. 8, 2022), these rate ratios were lower, with unvaccinated persons having infection and hospitalization rates, respectively, 3.6 and 23.0 times those of fully vaccinated persons with a booster and 2.0 and 5.3 times those of fully vaccinated persons without a booster. Admission to intensive care units, intubation for mechanical ventilation, and death were significantly more likely among unvaccinated persons than among fully vaccinated persons with or without a booster during the entire analytic period.

"Efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are critical to preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalizations and severe outcomes," the authors write.

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