AP analysis: Almost all US coronavirus deaths among unvaccinated

Almost all recent deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are among those who have not been vaccinated, an analysis of government data by The Associated Press found.

The data from May showed only 0.8 percent of COVID-19 deaths were people who were fully vaccinated. That is only 150 people out of the more than 18,000 who died from the virus last month, according to AP.

The rate of hospitalization among fully vaccinated individuals was also incredibly low in May at 0.1 percent. Out of more than 853,000 hospitalizations, fewer than 1,200 were among fully vaccinated people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the data analyzed most likely understates the number of infections among vaccinated people, the AP noted, as there are limitations in collecting it, such as how well individual states are tracking infections.

The U.S. has fully vaccinated more than half of the eligible population but is still seeing a high amount of vaccine hesitancy. White House acknowledged Tuesday that it will miss its goal of 70 percent of Americans having one shot of the vaccine by July 4.

Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned there could be local surges of the coronavirus in areas where there are high numbers of unvaccinated people.

States and companies have been attempting to use incentives such as a vaccine lottery or a bonus for those who get vaccinated, but health officials are still struggling to reach those who are hesitant.