180 Fully Vaccinated, Boosted Massachusetts Residents Have Died Of COVID-19

At least 180 fully vaccinated and boosted residents in Massachusetts have died of COVID-19 even as case rates across the state continue to show signs of dropping.

The number of deaths represents 0.26% of the 69,398 boosted people who tested positive for COVID-19.

Since the state began administering booster doses, 586 people who received their third shots have been hospitalized with COVID-19. The number represents 0.84% of boosted residents who had breakthrough cases, according to data obtained by the Boston Herald through a public records request.

Data from the Massachusetts health department also showed that 928,178 unvaccinated people were diagnosed with COVID-19 since December 2020. Of the total reported cases, 19,766 were hospitalized and 6,515 died.

Health experts said the data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showed that booster doses significantly decreased the chances of severe illness resulting in hospitalizations and deaths among COVID-19 patients.

“This evidence is overwhelming that vaccinating and boosting saves lives,” Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told the Herald. “It is very uncommon to see boosted people dying from COVID.”

The data comes as Massachusetts continues to register a drop in new COVID-19 cases. On Monday, health officials recorded 3,863 new infections and 66 additional deaths. The figures now put the state’s COVID-19 toll to 1,522,532 cases and 22,186 deaths.

As of Monday, Massachusetts’ seven-day rolling average positivity rate also dropped to 3%, according to the health agency’s dashboard.

There are currently 1,024 patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19. At least 188 patients are in Intensive Care Units (ICU) while 94 required intubation.

Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have also seen a decline in every state, but deaths remain at high levels. In mid-January, the U.S. was reporting an average of more than 800,000 infections daily. As of Monday, the numbers were down to about 175,000 new cases daily.

However, the average number of daily deaths is still elevated at over 2,200 each day, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, U.S. health officials have registered a total of 77,919,069 cases and 922,474 deaths.