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CDC: Deaths among vaccinated, but not boosted, people rises

The unvaccinated continue making up a large share of those dying from the virus. But more and more people who are vaccinated are showing up in the data and they're some of the most vulnerable.

Posted Updated

By
Ali Ingersoll
, WRAL Investigative Data Journalist

Only 9 people died of COVID in North Carolina last week. In our state and nationwide, the unvaccinated continue making up a large share of those dying from the virus. But more and more people who are vaccinated are showing up in the data and they're some of the most vulnerable.

94% of North Carolinians who are 65 and up are fully vaccinated but when we look at those who have been boosted, it drops to 78%. ​New information from the CDC shows that a growing number of people who have died over the last several months were vaccinated but not boosted.

Only 1% of people who were boosted and got COVID in October died from the virus. By February, that jumped to 15%, the CDC information reveals.

Still, the rate at which the unvaccinated are dying remains higher. Almost two dozen state and county health departments participated in a study looking at COVID deaths by vaccine status and sent that information to the CDC.

The results show that during Omicron’s surge over the winter, unvaccinated people died at about seven times the rate of the fully vaccinated and 20 times the rate of people with boosters.

In North Carolina, there were similar outcomes.

The most recent report from the DHHS released yesterday reveals that unvaccinated individuals were 11.5 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than people who had received a booster.

As conversations around boosters continue, the data shows what health officials have long said: the vaccine’s potency wanes over time. Still, doctors say the data shouldn’t cause anyone to panic - but the most vulnerable should remain vigilant.

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