Jun 25, 2021 - Health

Nearly all U.S. COVID deaths are among unvaccinated

Kierra Frazier

A health worker prepares a dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 coronavirus. — Photo Thierry Thorel/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the United States are now among those who are unvaccinated, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: A recent AP analysis using government data from May found that "breakthrough" infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for only 0.1%, or 1,200 of more than 853,000 hospitalizations in the country.

Data also showed that fully vaccinated people accounted for .8% of COVID-19 deaths in May, or 150 out of more than 18,000, per AP.
The data in the analysis is only gathered from 45 states who report breakthrough infrastructures, which means the data may underestimate the infections, according to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The big picture: On Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said that adult deaths from COVID-19 are "at this point entirely preventable" due to vaccine availability.

The Biden administration acknowledged Tuesday that it would likely miss its goal of vaccinating 70% of U.S. adults with at least one dose by July 4.

Editors note: This post has been updated with the correct percentage of COVID-19 deaths among vaccinated people.

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Nearly all U.S. COVID deaths are among unvaccinated

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