Data from NSW’s Delta outbreak has been laid bare, with figures showing how much more dangerous it is to be unvaccinated.
New figures released by the NSW government show unvaccinated people in the state have been 16 times more likely to die or be seriously sick than those vaccinated against Covid during the Delta outbreak.
The data, included in NSW Health’s latest In Focus report, was compiled from June 16 to October 7 and covers the peak of the outbreak in Sydney. There were 61,000 cases of Covid in this period, with 412 people dying.
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the data proved hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths were far lower among vaccinated people.
“The COVID-19 Delta outbreak has been the biggest challenge the state has faced during the pandemic because of its transmissibility,” she said.
“COVID-19 cases peaked from 25 August to 7 September, with the rate among fully vaccinated people at 49.5 per 100,000, while in unvaccinated people it was 561 per 100,000, a more than tenfold difference.
“Notably, young people with two doses of a vaccine experienced lower rates of infection and almost no serious disease, while those unvaccinated in this age group were at greater risk of developing COVID-19 and needing hospitalisation.”
Of the 412 deaths over the relevant period, only 11 per cent (47 people) had received two doses of a vaccine. Of those 47 people, the average age was 82 and 29 were residents of aged care facilities. The other 18 had serious underlying health issues.
More than half (63 per cent) of the 61,000 recorded cases of Covid were found in unvaccinated people. A further 22 per cent were among people whose vaccination status was unknown, but who had no doses recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register.
Just 9 per cent of cases had a single dose of vaccine, and 6 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Of the 1305 cases admitted to the ICU in NSW, just 3 per cent (30 people) were fully vaccinated. Twenty-six of them had significant underlying health conditions.
In the peak fortnight of the outbreak, from September 8 to September 21, the rate of Covid ICU admissions or deaths reached 0.9 per 100,000 people among the fully vaccinated compared to 15.6 per 100,000 among the unvaccinated.
Dr Chant praised the state’s residents for coming forward in large numbers to get vaccinated, and urged the stragglers to follow suit.
“It is incredibly important people come forward for vaccination as soon as possible, especially young people aged 12 to 15 years old,” she said.
“Vaccinations are safe, effective, and free from our NSW Health vaccination clinics, GPs and pharmacies.”
You can read the full NSW Health report yourself here.
Originally published as New data from NSW reveals unvaccinated people 16 times more likely to die of Covid
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