Unvaccinated 20 times more likely to die from Covid, Spanish study shows

Madrid Desk, Spain, Jan 8 (EFE).- Unvaccinated people aged between 60 and 79 years are 20 times more likely to die from coronavirus compared to inoculated people, a Spanish study has found as Covid infections continue to soar across Europe.

Spain’s health minister Carolina Darias revealed the findings of the research conducted by the Spanish Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies during her visit to a vaccination center in Extremadura in western Spain.

Unvaccinated people of that age group are 16 times more likely to be hospitalized due to coronavirus-related complications, while those who have been vaccinated are 30 times less likely to be admitted to an ICU, the minister said.

Fatality rates have fallen to 1.3% as vaccination has progressed compared to 4% a few days into the pandemic, she added.

Spain currently has a record 14-day incidence with an average of 2,722 cases per 100,000.

The United Kingdom, meanwhile, has been dealing with an alarming health workers shortage amid a surge in hospitalization driven by the Omicron variant of the Covid-19.

The number of absent health workers due to Covid-19 in England has tripled in a month to 39,142 on January 2, the National for Statistics Office data shows.

Some 3.7 million people contracted the virus during the week that ended on 31 December, 64 percent more than the previous week.

Hospitals admitted a record of 18,454 people for coronavirus on 6 January, the highest figure recorded since February 18, 2021.

In Belgium, infections have doubled within a week as authorities brace for the peak of the fifth wave in late January.

Between 29 December and 4 January, an average 15,996 daily cases were detected, a 104% increase compared to the previous week, the public health institute revealed on Saturday.EFE

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