As panic reaches a fever pitch over the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, new data shows there’s only a minuscule risk of vaccinated Americans becoming seriously sick with breakthrough cases.
Out of 161 million US residents who were fully vaccinated as of July 19, just 5,601 caught a severe breakthrough infection and were hospitalized — an infinitesimal 0.0035 percent of the protected population, according to the latest CDC figures available on post-vaccination infections.
When it comes to deaths, the risk is even lower, with just 1,141 vaccinated people dying from a COVID-19 breakthrough infection — or 0.0007 percent of those fully jabbed.
Overall, the elderly were the most at risk of severe breakthrough infection, with 74 percent of people who were hospitalized or died post-vaccination over the age of 65.
By contrast, 95.5 percent of total COVID-19 deaths and 97 percent of total hospitalizations in the US are among unvaccinated people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier this month.
As of Thursday, 163.9 million Americans are fully immunized against the virus, representing about 49 percent of the population, CDC figures show. Fifty-seven percent of the population has received at least one dose.
While the total vaccination rate still remains below desired levels, the CDC on Tuesday issued new indoor mask guidelines in virus hotspots to try and curb the spread of the Delta variant, which is the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US.
The agency also urged everyone in K-12 schools to wear a mask when returning to class in the fall, regardless of vaccination status.