Unvaccinated Texans Found to Be 20 Times More Likely to Have Fatal COVID Cases As Compared to Those Vaccinated: Texas Health Department

Unvaccinated Texans are 20 times more likely to have morbid COVID cases as compared to those that vaccinated, according to a new study of the Texas Department of State Health Services.

In addition, Texans are also four to five times more likely to contract and die from COVID with the prevalence of the delta variant in the state, according to The Hill report.

The Texas Health Department analyzed data among people who tested positive for COVID, including those vaccinated and unvaccinated.

The report was from two different timeframes, between January 15 and October 1; and another from September 4 to October 1.

The data from January 15 and October 1 found that those who died from COVID were 85 percent unvaccinated, while only seven percent from the vaccinated group died from the virus.

In the same timeframe, it was found that unvaccinated people were 40 times more likely to die from COVID compared to fully vaccinated Texans. However, the number dropped to 20 times more likely to die from COVID compared to the September 4 to October 1 timeframe as the number of unvaccinated people declined.

The Texas Health Department's report highlighted the risk that COVID cases and the death toll would rise among unvaccinated, according to a Washington Post report.

Jennifer A. Shuford, the state's chief epidemiologist, said in a statement that the report had provided data for what they have known for months. Shuford noted that COVID vaccines are doing "an excellent job" of protecting people from getting infected and dying from COVID.

Bhavna Lall, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Medicine, echoed Shuford's sentiments. Lall said that the data had shown them what they already know, with the unvaccinated being the most at risk. The assistant professor said that they now have data to prove this.

Texas COVID Cases and Vaccination

Johns Hopkins University noted that roughly 55 percent of Texans are not fully vaccinated, comparing to the U.S. average of 58.4 percent, according to a Business Insider report.

The Texas Health Department noted that more than 3.5 million cases have been recorded in the state, with more than 70,700 people have died in Texas.

In McLennan County, COVID cases per day have dropped over 80 percent since early September, according to a KXXV News report. Local health officials said that people should not let their guard down against the virus as new variants can be unpredictable.

Waco-McLennan County Public Health District Director LaShonda Malrey-Horne said that they're seeing a decline in the number of COVID cases and that they're happy about that. However, Malrey-Horne said that people should remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, COVID vaccination started among children with the announcement of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsing a pediatric dose of Pfizer vaccine for children. About 2.9 million children aged five to 11 in Texas will be covered with the new vaccine endorsement, according to The New York Times report.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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