ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Health released the first study in the nation with data on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, which shows they are working to fight the virus.
The study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that unvaccinated New Yorkers were 11 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and eight times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated.
Data was collected on the rates of hospitalizations and cases among vaccinated New Yorkers over 18 and compared it to the rates in unvaccinated New Yorkers.
The study found the vaccine has remained effective in preventing hospitalizations across all age groups for the duration of the study from May 3 to July 25. The vaccine effectiveness in preventing hospitalizations is about 92-95%.
The vaccine effectiveness did decrease for preventing COVID-19 cases, dropping from 92% to 80% for all age groups. With the spread of the delta variant and reduction in preventative measures like social distancing and mask wearing, both unvaccinated and vaccinated experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases.
"At this important time in the epidemic, we’ve observed a clear increase in cases for unvaccinated and even vaccinated people," said lead study author Dr. Eli Rosenberg of the Department of Health. "Yet these results demonstrate that compared to unvaccinated people, those who are vaccinated remain consistently far more protected against infection and hospitalization. Vaccines remain a critical tool for COVID-19 prevention.”
The study stated that the implications of the data show a support of a vaccine centered approach towards controlling the pandemic and supported masking and physical distancing.
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