Health Outcome Gaps Closing Between the Vaccinated and Unvaccinated in Wisconsin

The risk of infection, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in Wisconsin is still higher for the unvaccinated, but that gap continues to close according to new data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) released on Wednesday.

The new data compares COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and death rates in Wisconsin during August between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. The numbers increased significantly for both populations from July to August. At the beginning of August, 48.9% of Wisconsin residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to DHS.

In August, unvaccinated individuals made up 75% of all COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. That’s the same as in July. Unvaccinated individuals were 2.9 times more likely to catch COVID-19 than the vaccinated.

The rate of infection among the vaccinated was 440.1 out of every 100,000 unvaccinated individuals. The rate of infection among the unvaccinated was 1,267.6 out of every 100,000 vaccinated individuals.

In August, unvaccinated individuals made up 76% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin. That’s a drop from 80% in July. Unvaccinated individuals were 3.1 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 that the vaccinated.

The rate of hospitalization among the unvaccinated was 54.5 out of every 100,000 unvaccinated individuals. The rate of infection among the vaccinated was 17.8 out of every 100,000 vaccinated individuals.

In August, unvaccinated individuals made up 75% of all COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin. That’s a drop from 93% in July. Unvaccinated individuals were 2.9 times more likely to die with COVID-19 that the vaccinated.

The death rate among the unvaccinated was 5.2 out of every 100,000 unvaccinated individuals. The death rate among the vaccinated was 1.8 out of every 100,000 vaccinated individuals.