During the month of September, Texans not vaccinated against COVID-19 were 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19-related complications and 13 times more likely to test positive than people who were fully vaccinated, according to a new study by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The protective effect of vaccination was most pronounced among younger people. From Sept. 4 to Oct. 1, the risk of COVID-19 death was 23 times higher in unvaccinated people in their 30s and 55 times higher for people in their 40s, when compared with their vaccinated peers, the study found.
In that period, there were fewer than 10 COVID-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people ages 18 to 29 compared with 339 deaths among unvaccinated people in that age group, the study found.
“All authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States are highly effective at protecting people from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19, including those infected with delta and other known variants,” the study said. “Real world data from Texas clearly shows these benefits.”
Examining a longer period, from Jan. 15 to Oct. 1 of this year, the study found that unvaccinated people were 45 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people.
The Texas study analyzed electronic lab reports, death certificates and state immunization records. It is the state’s first statistical analysis of the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations in Texas.
“This analysis quantifies what we’ve known for months,” Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the chief state epidemiologist, said in a statement. “The COVID-19 vaccines are doing an excellent job of protecting people from getting sick and from dying from COVID-19. Vaccination remains the best way to keep yourself and the people close to you safe from this deadly disease.”
About 15.6 million Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in a state of nearly 30 million, according to state data.
