The Curious case of Connecticut and Massachusetts

I am struggling to find "excellent protection from hospitalization and death"

Our health authorities reassure us that while COVID “breakthrough infections” occasionally happen, vaccines provide excellent protection from hospitalizations and deaths. The two newspaper articles I am quoting, happily state the same thing. 

However, they also provide numbers that completely contradict the above. When divided upon one another, the numbers show that there is not, or not much, fewer hospitalizations and deaths among the vaccinated, expressed as a percentage of the number of cases. In other words, real life statistics from two states shows next to no additional protection against severe outcomes, stemming from vaccination status.

Here are the articles:

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/coronavirus/mass-has-3704-new-breakthrough-cases-13-more-covid-deaths-among-vaccinated/2480710/

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/CT-records-eight-more-COVID-deaths-of-fully-16414839.php

Massachusetts

All numbers are taken from either the above articles, or from worldometer. In Massachusetts, there were 3,074 new breakthrough cases, 80 breakthrough hospitalizations, and 13 breakthrough deaths last week. (number of deaths can be obtained by comparing last week’s number with the previous week’s number). 

At the same time, per worldometer, there were approximately 1158*7 = 11,116 total cases, and 8*7=56 total covid deaths. 

This means that in Massachusetts, breakthrough cases were 33% of all cases. The number of hospitalized breakthrough cases, per article, is 168/591 patients, or 28%.  The breakthrough deaths were approximately 23% of all deaths. 

Connecticut

In Connecticut, the picture is somewhat worse. 1,264 people had breakthrough infections, out of about 4,851 total cases. This is 26% of cases that happened among the vaccinated. There were, sadly, 8 breakthrough deaths, out of 25 total deaths. This means that 32% of deaths were among the vaccinated. 

Summary

If the claims about “excellent protection from vaccines from hospitalization and death” were true, then the number of deaths and hospitalizations, as a percent of totals, would be much lower than the percent of raw cases. But the reality is completely different and breakthrough deaths are closely following cases, showing no or very little protection. 

Other States

Information about last week’s breakthrough cases, hospitalizations and deaths is very difficult to find. I am not sure why our health authorities choose not to share it.

Perhaps they are too busy of think that it is not important that we know the real world measure of vaccine protection. We can only guess. I would like to invite everyone else to share what you know about your own state.