Unvaccinated people in LA over 29 times more likely to be hospitalised

Los Angeles, Aug 26 The Covid-19 hospitalisation rate among non-vaccinated people was more than 29 times the rate of fully inoculated persons in Los Angeles County, the most populous in the US, health authorities said.

Fully vaccinated people with Covid-19 were significantly less likely than the unvaccinated ones to be hospitalised, to be admitted to an intensive care unit, to require mechanical ventilation, or to die from the virus, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement on Wednesday, citing data in a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between May 1 and July 25, of 43,127 Covid-19 infections in residents of Los Angeles County, 10,895 (25.3 per cent) were in fully vaccinated persons, 1,431 (3.3 per cent) were in partially vaccinated persons, and 30,801 (71.4 per cent) were in unvaccinated persons, according to the report released.

Data from the report showed that infection and hospitalisation rates among unvaccinated persons were respectively 4.9 and 29.2 times those in fully vaccinated persons on July 25, reports Xinhua news agency.

County health officials noted in Wednesday's release that the findings in the report "highlight that efforts to enhance Covid-19 vaccination coverage, in coordination with other prevention strategies, are critical to preventing hospitalisations and deaths".

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed 3,322 new cases and 36 new related deaths in the county, home to over 10 million residents, bringing the overall tally since the start of the pandemic to 1,391,363 positive cases with 25,150 related deaths.

There are 1,747 people with Covid-19 currently hospitalised in the county and 27 per cent of them are in the intensive care units, according to the department.

Official data showed that around 73 per cent of Los Angeles County residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose, and 64 per cent have been fully vaccinated.