Most vaccinated people no longer need fear imminent death from COVID-19 or its variants, says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Remarking on a CDC study showing vaccines targeting COVID-19 and its variants have successfully prevented serious illness, Walensky said most deaths from COVID in vaccinated people occurred in individuals diagnosed with several other conditions or diseases, during an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America on January 7.
“The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75 percent, occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities,” said Walensky. “So, really, these are people who were unwell, to begin with. And yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron; this means not only just to get your primary series but to get your booster series. And yes, we’re really encouraged by these results.”
The CDC study found among 1,228,664 people who completed primary vaccinations during the period from December 2020 to October 2021, severe COVID-19-associated outcomes (0.015 percent) or death (0.0033 percent) were rare.
Risk factors for severe outcomes identified in the study included being 65 years and older, immunosuppressed, and having one or more of six other underlying conditions. Indeed, all people with severe outcomes had at least one risk factor, while 78 percent of persons who died had at least four.
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