6.3. Risks in Unvaccinated People
The need for COVID-19 vaccination is apparent. From when the disease
made its first appearance back in December 2019, it has taken numerous
lives. A cure for the disease is yet to be formulated and currently,
strategically managing the spread of the disease is of utmost
importance. Adding to the difficulties is the fact that the
disease-causing virus is rapidly evolving. Accelerated efforts have
resulted in the development of various vaccines that protect against
infection. These vaccinations result in a significant reduction in
mortality rates and chances of the infection from becoming severe. The
unvaccinated population is exposed to higher chances of contracting the
infection, for instance, a study reported that unvaccinated people are
at 11 times risk of death from the delta variant of COVID-19 as compared
to vaccinated people indicating that they are at a higher risk of
experiencing a severe episode of the disease. Another recent study that
aimed to test the efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 and
Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1-S reported that vaccinated individuals had a
44% lower risk of being admitted to a hospital and a 51% lesser risk
of death as compared to unvaccinated individuals. It can be inferred
from such studies that it is extremely important for unvaccinated
individuals to receive the vaccine to avoid severe outcomes of the
disease.