How Much More Of A Risk Do You Have Of Dying From COVID-19 If You Aren't Vaccinated?

While there is no cure for COVID-19, being fully vaccinated against the virus significantly reduces one's risk for serious complications, hospitalization, and death, according to the World Health Organization. While there is the possibility of breakthrough vaccination cases, the chances are minor, with statistics showing the daily chances of contracting the virus being as little as one in 5,000, reported The New York Times in September. Additionally, the publication revealed that this risk may be "even lower for people who take precautions or live in a highly vaccinated community."

According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "mRNA COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective, including during periods of widespread circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant." Without this added layer of protection against the virus, unvaccinated individuals are at much higher risk for infection, serious side effects, and death. But just how much higher is this risk? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the findings of a new study on Friday, September 10 that examined the development of 600,000 cases of COVID-19 in individuals between early spring into the mid-summer season (via CNN). The research indicated that the risk of death from COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated individuals is 11 times higher than that of those who are fully vaccinated against the virus. In addition, it was found that unvaccinated individuals are also 10 times more likely than vaccinated individuals to undergo hospitalization from infection.

Further research was released by the CDC accompanying these findings, which highlighted the Moderna vaccine as providing the greatest protection against hospitalization (via The Washington Post). This research was conducted over the summer and examined 32,000 patients who, at the time, had been actively receiving medical care for COVID-19. "While the three vaccines were collectively 86 percent effective in preventing hospitalization, protection was significantly higher among Moderna vaccine recipients (95 percent) than among those who got Pfizer-BioNTech (80 percent) or Johnson & Johnson (60 percent)," reported The Washington Post.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, issued a statement during a White House briefing, saying, "As we have shown, study after study, vaccination works" (via The New York Times).