CDC: Unvaccinated seniors 50 times more likely to be hospitalized than those with boosters

Adults ages 65 and older who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are nearly 50 times more likely to be hospitalized than seniors who have received a full vaccine course and a booster shot, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The data shows that unvaccinated seniors are 49 times more likely to go to the hospital than those that have been boosted. Similarly, unvaccinated adults ages 50-64 are 44 times more likely to go to the hospital compared to their vaccinated and boosted counterparts, according to the data.

The data was collected from Nov. 6 to Dec. 25. This is the first time the CDC has posted hospitalization rates based on vaccination status.

Vaccinated adults without the booster were found to still have significantly lower rates of hospitalization than the unvaccinated.

Unvaccinated seniors above the age of 50 were 17 times more likely to end up in the hospital than fully vaccinated seniors without the booster. 

Unvaccinated adults ages 18 to 49 were 12 times more likely to be hospitalized, and those ages 12 to 17 were nine times more likely to be hospitalized compared to the vaccinated.

The numbers are likely made up of mostly delta variant cases, as omicron was only officially detected in the U.S. near the end of November. 

The omicron variant is spreading faster than the delta variant, but officials say it is less deadly and causes fewer hospitalizations among the vaccinated.

The data comes as health officials are encouraging everyone to get a booster shot for the coronavirus in order to make it through the wave of new cases seen in the U.S.