Looking at 50,000 patient records from 100 VA hospitals, researchers at Harvard Medical School, Tufts Medical Center and the VA Boston Healthcare System found that from mid-January 2021 through the end of June 2021, nearly half — 48% — had been admitted for something other than COVID.
When they focused on vaccinated patients only, that number rose to 57%. Curiously, 55% of unvaccinated patients appeared to have less severe symptoms than they did earlier in the pandemic, while vaccinated patients were only 42.6% less likely to experience severe symptoms.
Researchers credited this to a younger patient cohort than the more senior patients that were affected early on. Study authors also attributed the vaccine to both the unvaccinated and vaccinated having less severe symptoms.
SOURCES:
The Atlantic September 13, 2021
Research Square September 2021