Unvaccinated or partly vaccinated people are accounting for nearly all of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in San Diego County. The same is true in Los Angeles County, where masks are once again required indoors.
New data from the County Health and Human Services Agency shows that since Jan. 1, 2021, COVID-19 has been primarily occurring in San Diegans who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. They represent:
99.8% of deaths
99.88% of hospitalizations
99.1% of cases
Since Jan. 1, of the more than 5,000 hospitalizations, only 10 were people who were full vaccinated. Of the 106,000 cases reported in San Diego County, only 1,000 were fully vaccinated.
62% of LA County residents are vaccinated, although more seniors are vaccinated at 78%. Persistent resistance to the vaccine is lingering.
In San Diego County, 70.7% of the local eligible population (12 or older) is vaccinated according to data released July 14, 2021, but 140,000 San Diegans are overdue for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Why get vaccinated? While the COVID-19 vaccine may not prevent infection against the now dominant Delta Variant, it has been shown to reduce the severity of the illness. Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to be tested or self-isolate even if exposed to COVID-19. For those who are elderly or who have underlying medical conditions, the vaccine is important to protect their health. Those with hypertension have statistically had the most trouble with the infection leading to hospitalizations..
Why the resistance? Some people are mistrustful based on heightened political reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic, hypocritical actions of elected leaders, and some worry about the emergency authorization of the vaccines, as opposed to full approval.
In response, the FDA has started the process to get full approval for the Pfizer vaccine, the first to hit the market.