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Of the 10 percent of those hospitalized for COVID-19 who died while in the hospital, nearly 81 percent were unvaccinated. (Devan Ridgway / WFIU-WTIU News)
A national study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s VISION Network confirms that individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 experience less severe effects than those who were never vaccinated.
The study focused on the differences in intensive care, ICU admissions, hospital deaths, and length of stay among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The researchers also looked at severity of the illness and mortality rates.
Shaun Grannis, study co-author and vice president for data and analytics at the Regenstrief Institute, said that the study confirmed facts already known about the vaccine.
“So we know that the vaccine does many things, it will decrease the risk of infection and spread,” Grannis said. “It also minimizes or lowers your symptomatology overall.”
Read more: Indiana lagging in children’s vaccinations
But the study filled a gap in existing research about hospital severity.
“Those who were vaccinated had a shorter, less severe stay, they were less likely to go to the ICU, they were less likely to have a long stay,” Grannis said. “They were less likely to die in hospital. There’s almost a 10 times greater risk of dying from COVID in the hospital if you’re unvaccinated than if you are vaccinated.”
Even though vaccinated people are experiencing breakthrough cases and hospitalization, the study found that they were better off getting the vaccine than not.
“But what people aren’t as familiar with, I think, is the fact that vaccines help to reduce your symptoms, reduce the severity of the illness overall, and reduce your risk of death,” Grannis said.
Positive results also were shown for those with two or three boosters. Grannis said that staying up to date with vaccinations helps protect against longer hospital stays and severity.
With flu season picking up along with COVID cases, Grannis also suggests getting vaccinated against the flu, too.
The study can be found on Oxford Academic website or on the press release.
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