Unvaccinated Texans were 40 times more likely to die from COVID-19 and 45 times more likely to contract the coronavirus than those who were vaccinated, state health data shows.
The study, released Monday by the Texas Department of State Health Services, analyzed data from Jan. 15 to Oct. 1, with a breakout summary on a four-week stretch from Sept. 4 through Oct. 1. It was conducted by matching lab reports and death certificates with state immunization records.
During the four-week sample size from this fall, unvaccinated people in their 30s were 48 times more likely to die of COVID-19 and people in their 40s were 63 times more likely than those who were vaccinated, according to the state.
Fewer than 10 fully vaccinated Texans between the ages of 18 and 29 died of COVID-19 from Sept. 4 to Oct. 1, while 339 unvaccinated people in the same age group succumbed to the virus.
"This analysis quantifies what we’ve known for months," Chief State Epidemiologist Jennifer Shuford said. "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."
The analysis zeroed in on the month of September to track the effectiveness of the vaccine against the delta variant, according to Texas DSHS.
