Studies show vaccines work even as tiny fraction of vaccinated people die of COVID-19

A new report from the United Kingdom found that 117 people have died from the delta variant of the coronavirus, including 50 people who were fully vaccinated.

The deaths are just a tiny fraction of the 92,029 cases of the variant that have been documented in the United Kingdom, and should not cause alarm about vaccines.

In fact, a report by The Wall Street Journal noted that the new evidence provides encouraging signs that the COVID-19 vaccine works.

While the delta variant has become the fastest spreading coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom — something that is also happening in the United States — the study shows that people who are fully vaccinated are much less likely to get it. If they do get it, they are much less likely to become very sick or require hospitalization.

At the same time, the study underscores that the elderly can still be susceptible to the coronavirus and specifically the delta variant.

Of the total number of deaths associated with the delta variant in the U.K. study, the majority of those — 109 people — were over the age of 50. Only eight people under the age of 50 had died from the variant.

The 50 deaths from the delta variant in the vaccinated group were all at least 50 years old, according to the U.K. data.

Other studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson when it comes to both COVID-19, overall, and the delta variant, specifically.

The Journal also noted that the risk of dying from COVID-19 are still much greater for older patients. It said that if a vaccine reduces an 80-year-old’s risk of death from COVID-19 by 95 percent, as an example, that person’s risk of death would still be greater than someone who is 20 years old.

No matter the person’s age, vaccines have proven effective in warding off the coronavirus and in making cases less severe.

People with certain chronic illnesses also continue to be at a higher risk of death from COVID-19, including the delta variant.

The Journal also noted that in countries that achieve higher vaccine rates, eventually it’s possible that more deaths will come from those who are vaccinated.

This is because the disease can still spread, even in a country that is 100 percent vaccinated, though the numbers of deaths and hospitalizations would be much smaller than in a country with a lower vaccination rate.

The Journal’s report went on to say that if there’s fewer unvaccinated people for COVID-19 to infect, it’s possible that the amount of older, vaccinated people dying from the virus could outpace those who are younger and not vaccinated.

According to the U.K., more than 85 percent of adults have gotten their first dose of the vaccine. About 63 percent of adults have gotten both doses.

In the United States, the latest tracker from The New York Times estimates that 58 percent of the U.S. adult population is fully vaccinated while 67 percent have had at least one dose.

Evidence suggests the delta variant is more deadly and more easily spread by people who have had just one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine.