Unvaccinated Australians 5 times more likely to die from Covid: Report

Canberra: Australians who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 are five times more likely to die after contracting the virus than those who are fully inoculated, a report published on Monday revealed.

The South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) published an analysis of 70,450 confirmed coronavirus cases in SA between August and October 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.

It revealed that cases who had zero vaccine doses were eight times more likely to be hospitalized and five times more likely to die than those who had three or four doses.

People who had just one or two vaccines were three times more likely to be hospitalised than their fully inoculated peers.

The data was released to coincide with the start of a national rollout of an additional booster vaccine.

From Monday, every Australian aged 18 and over who has not had Covid-19 or a vaccine dose in the last six months is eligible for an additional booster.

Nicola Spurrier, SA’s chief public health officer, said the SAHMRI data shows the importance of vaccination.

“For many of us, it has been over six months since our last vaccine dose or infection with Covid-19 and our immunity could do with a boost,” she was quoted by News Corp Australia.

“We are expecting further waves of Covid-19 this year and winter will also be a time of greater risk. So get ahead and get protected.”

Earlier in February, national chief medical officer (CMO) Paul Kelly told a parliamentary hearing that Australians should be prepared for multiple waves of coronavirus infections again in 2023.

(IANS)