Hamilton unvaccinated 8x more likely to be infected with COVID-19, 9x more likely to die from virus: public health
Published November 22, 2021 at 4:13 pm
According to the City of Hamilton Public Health Services, residents who are unvaccinated have been infected by COVID-19 at a rate that is 8.6 times higher than the fully vaccinated population.
The data, current as of Monday (Nov. 22), counts COVID-19 infections beginning Aug. 18, 2021.
For the month of November up to this point, the infection ratio is approximately 5:1 (unvaccinated:fully vaccinated).
Many individuals appear to have fallen into the base rate fallacy trap. It’s expected that there will be a higher number of vaccinated individuals who contract the virus now that 86 per cent of the eligible Ontario population is fully vaxxed. However, when we look at rates, the risks increase substantially for the unvaccinated.
According to Hamilton public health, the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19 is 27.2 times higher among the unvaccinated compared to the fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the unvaxxed have died from COVID-19 at a rate that is 9.6 times higher since mid-August. The City adds, however, that the numbers for deaths and ICU admittance are based on low counts and should be interpreted with caution.
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The data can be found on the City’s website: hamilton.ca/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-distribution
Hamilton reported 41 newly confirmed cases on Monday as the number of active cases in the city appears to be on the rise.
According to public health data shared on the City’s website, there are 181 active cases in the community at the moment (up from 157 on Friday) and nine active outbreaks.
The seven-day average for new daily cases in Hamilton is up to 22 from 15 a week ago, but down from the 23 reported on Friday.
There are 18 people being treated for COVID-related illness in Hamilton hospitals and of those, fewer than 10 are in local ICUs.
Meanwhile, Ontario is reporting 627 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, and one more death. The seven-day rolling average is 656.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 341 of the new cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 286 are in fully vaccinated individuals.
Almost 89 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 86 per cent have received two doses.
The province announced that kids in the 5 to 11 age group can start booking vaccine appointments starting Tuesday at 8 a.m. through local public health units or through the province’s vaccine portal.
In Hamilton, to date, 881,468 vaccine doses have been administered locally with 82.9 per cent of residents fully vaccinated and 86 per cent with their first dose.
To learn more about Hamilton’s COVID-19 response and its vaccination rollout, visit the City’s website.
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