CDC Study: LA County's Unvaccinated 29 Times More Likely To Be Hospitalized Than Fully Vaccinated People

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A CDC study of Los Angeles County's summer surge found that people who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 were nearly 29 times more likely to require hospitalization than people who were fully vaccinated.

TORRANCE, CA - JULY 30: Courtney Herron, RN speaks with covid possitive patient Jorge Hernandez, 64, an incentive spirometer in the covid unit inside Little Company of Mary Medical Center Friday, July 30, 2021 in Torrance, CA. Today the hospital has 20 covid possitive patients. In June they had none. The majority of their covid possitive cases are non vaccinated patients. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The study released this week took a closer look at the more than 43,000 infections reported in Los Angeles County between May 1 and July 25. Of those infections, the vast majority were people who were unvaccinated – 30,801, or 71.4% -- particularly among those under the age of 50. More than 25% of those infected were fully vaccinated, and 3% were partially vaccinated.

By July 25, hospitalization rate among the unvaccinated was more than 29 times those of people who had been fully vaccinated.

"Fully vaccinated people with COVID-19 infection were significantly less likely than unvaccinated persons to be hospitalized, to be admitted to an intensive care unit, to require mechanical ventilation or to die from COVID-19 infection," a statement from Los Angeles County Public Health said.

The summer surge was largely due to the circulation of the Delta variant, which is much more contagious and was the predominant variant in Los Angeles County between May and July.