While “breakthrough” infections are occurring, unvaccinated people in Wisconsin are 32 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, and 13 percent more likely to die than those who are fully vaccinated.
UW Health Dr. Joseph A. McBride says breakthrough cases are to be expected. “I really hope that people look at these breakthrough data not with cynicism and doubt, but with understanding this remains our best tool at lowering the rate of infection for the individual, and also the severity of infection for the individual.”
The discrepancy in COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated and vaccinated is confirmed in data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. At this point, 55.5 percent of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 52.2 percent have completed the vaccine series.
“The message that I hope the people of Wisconsin take, is that getting the vaccine is still the most effective way to limit someone’s risk of acquiring the infection, and significantly reduce the risk of having a severe manifestation of the infection, things like hospitalization and death,” McBride said.