Three times more vaccinated people died during the omicron peak than during delta’s heyday in California's Bay Area

A Bay Area News Group analysis of state COVID-19 deaths found that from Aug. 25 to Sept. 21, the deadliest four weeks of the delta surge when the variant accounted for 98% or more of genetically sequenced cases, 2,917 unvaccinated and 533 vaccinated people died.

From Jan. 14 to Feb. 10, the deadliest period of the omicron surge when the variant was 98% or more of sequenced cases, 2,999 unvaccinated and 1,767 vaccinated people died, including 436 who’d received booster shots to shore up waning vaccine protection. 


State figures have consistently shown the coronavirus is deadlier with age. Of the nearly 85,000 Californians who’ve died of COVID-19, 71% were age 65 or older and 92% at were least 50.

In Santa Cruz, 10 patients lost their lives to COVID-19 in the end of January and beginning of February 2022. All but one were vaccinated, and five had received booster shots. Off the vaccinated patients who died, one was in his early 100s, three were in their 90s, two were in their 80s, three were in their 70s and most (but not all) had underlying health problems. The unvaccinated man who died was in his 50s.


By John Woolfolk, Harriet Blair Rowan and Emily DeRuy | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: March 6, 2022

REFERENCES

The Mercury News – Mar 06 2022

Also blogged at:

COVID-19 deaths in California among vaccinated rose sharply with omicron – TWO PLUS TWO EQUALS FOUR (wordpress.com)

California Omicron Deaths Surprisingly High Among Vaccinated Patients | Kaiser Health News (khn.org)


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