A study released this week by the Texas Health Department found that unvaccinated Texas residents were 20 times more likely to die and 13 times more likely to contract COVID-19 from Sept. 4 to Oct. 1.
In terms of health outcomes, the prevalence of COVID-19 among unvaccinated individuals varied with age, as those in their 40s were 55 times more likely to die from the disease, while those in their 75s and older were 12 times more likely to die.
Texas’ chief state epidemiologist, Dr. Jennifer Shuford, said that the study “quantifies what we’ve known for months.”
“The COVID-19 vaccines are doing an excellent job of protecting people from getting sick and from dying from COVID-19,” said Dr. Shuford. “Vaccination remains the best way to keep yourself and the people close to you safe from this deadly disease.”
The COVID-19 virus has killed more than 29,000 Texans this year. Eighty-five percent have not been vaccinated, while 68% are partially vaccinated, and 7.7% are fully vaccinated.
An earlier study conducted by the CDC found that unvaccinated Americans were 10 times prone to hospitalization and 11 times more likely to die from delta variants than those with vaccinations.
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Texas has slightly lower vaccination rates than the nation, with 66.7% of Texans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose, while 57.9% have received complete vaccines.
It is noteworthy that vaccines lose their effectiveness over time since the first Texans to receive their vaccine received it about 10 months ago.
Approximately six months after the second dose of Pfizer’s vaccine, a new study found that its effectiveness dropped from 88% to 47% in preventing infection.
The FDA is currently considering whether Pfizer’s third dose booster shot should be given to all adults. According to a study conducted last month, the third booster dose “restored vaccine protection against COVID-19 to the high levels achieved after the second dose,” resulting in 95.6% vaccine efficacy.
The FDA has already approved the use of a third dose booster shot to adults who have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or certain elderly people or people with health conditions who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
So far, Texas has seen a dramatic drop in both deaths and cases in recent weeks.
On Nov. 9, there were 3,201 new cases, from 19,711 on Sept. 14. The 7-day mortality average dropped to 104 on Nov. 9 from a recent high of 308.