NBC4: 99 Percent of COVID-19 Deaths in May Were Unvaccinated

Science shows the best way to prevent COVID-19 - and to prevent dying from it - is to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 99.2 percent of deaths from COVID-19 in the month of May were unvaccinated people.

“Our seven-day moving average is up 10 percent from where we were a week ago,” said Dr. Joe Gastaldo, OhioHealth system medical director of infectious diseases, in an interview with NBC4 in early July. “Yes, our numbers are still very, very low compared to where they were in the winter peak, but we need to follow those trends closely and what we’re seeing nationally is more COVID-19 cases in areas with lower vaccination uptakes.”

Dr. Gastaldo and the CDC also point to another reason to get vaccinated: the delta variant of COVID-19.  Studies show that the vaccines do provide good protection against this variant.

As of July 12, nearly 45 percent of Ohio’s population has been completely vaccinated.

Need to get vaccinated?  Click here to find an OhioHealth vaccination clinic near you.

Click the NBC4 logo below to view the full story.