
Getting vaccinated reduces your likelihood of getting Covid and of passing it on to other people. Most crucially, it dramatically reduces your likelihood of becoming seriously ill and dying.
A statement released by Northern Ireland’s Department of Health says:
“The latest data from our hospitals continues to bear this out in frank terms.
“Of those in ICU wards with Covid, 72% are unvaccinated, 8% have had one dose and 20% have had two doses.
“Unvaccinated people make up less than 12% of our adult population – yet account for 72% of people in ICU.
“Adults who have not had two vaccine doses are more than 5 times as likely to be admitted to hospital, and around 10 times more likely to be admitted to ICU, compared with fully vaccinated adults.
“That is a stark illustration of vaccine effectiveness.
“In December last year, for every 1,000 cases of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland, around 80 were admitted to hospital. Currently, the figure for hospitalisations is in the region of 20 per 1,000 cases.
“It was always anticipated that a small minority of vaccinated people would still get seriously ill with the virus.
“No vaccine in history has ever been 100% effective for 100% of people. This underlines the fact that we must all remain vigilant against Covid and not rely just on the vaccine to protect us. Testing, self-isolation, social distancing, face covering, good ventilation and avoiding crowded indoor settings – these all play a vital part in keeping us safe.”