How many vaccinated people in SLO County are getting COVID? Here’s what new data shows
Most San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 this summer were not fully vaccinated, new Public Health data shows.
The agency on Tuesday reported about 77% of local coronavirus cases diagnosed since June 15 involve people who were not fully vaccinated. The same is true of nearly 86% of those who’ve been hospitalized for COVID-19 and 79% of those who’ve died from the virus.
That means about 23% of COVID-19 cases, 15% of hospitalizations and 21% of deaths have been breakthrough infections occurring in people who are fully vaccinated.
People who aren’t considered fully vaccinated include individuals who’ve gotten one shot of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna series, as well as those who are completely unvaccinated, said Dr. Penny Borenstein, county Public Health officer, at a Tuesday news conference.
As of Aug. 23, about 60% of all eligible residents age 12 and older were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to county Public Health. Nearly 69% of eligible people had received at least one vaccine dose and about 32% remained unvaccinated.
That’s an increase of just 2 percentage points from July 25, when 58% of all eligible residents were fully vaccinated, as vaccinations leveled off over the summer.
Public Health released the new information on the same day Borenstein issued an order mandating all people again wear masks in indoor public settings, citing the increasing strain COVID-19 patients are exerting on the county’s hospital system.
Previous data showed fewer breakthrough infections
County residents concerned about breakthrough infections had been clamoring for more information on the vaccine status of those who’ve tested positive for COVID-19.
Public Health first released this information in late July, although it showed only how many unvaccinated people had tested positive, had been hospitalized or had died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the year.
From Jan. 1 through July 29, 98.5% of COVID-19 cases, 97.5% of hospitalizations and 99.2% of deaths occurred in unvaccinated people.
However, the longer timeframe diluted the data and made it challenging to understand how the Delta variant — which became the dominant strain during the summer — has impacted vaccine effectiveness.
The newer data shows breakthrough infections have been occurring on a larger scale than Public Health statistics previously showed, although the large majority of COVID-19 cases still involve unvaccinated people.
Public Health emphasizes vaccine effectiveness
In spite of the rise in breakthrough infections, Borenstein continued to emphasize that the COVID-19 vaccines remain especially effective in preventing hospitalization and death in those who do contract the virus.
“Mounting data shows that even with this Delta variant, that it is very protective, the vaccine is very protective,” Borenstein said at the news conference. “Even though we are seeing breakthrough cases more and more, we are not seeing high rates of people who are fully vaccinated landing in the hospital or dying.”
Those who’ve died from COVID-19 in spite of being fully vaccinated have largely had “very significant immunocompromising conditions,” she said.
“So when you hear our numbers, you may think it’s not that big of a protection device, vaccination, but, in fact, it is,” Borenstein said.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 1:07 PM.
