Thread by @opinion

Vaccine opponents are seizing on the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was fully vaccinated yet died of Covid-19 complications, to cast doubt on the vaccination effort against the virus.

These people are dangerously wrong. Here’s why:
trib.al/vEstvdB

The death of someone like Powell, who was 84 and fighting multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that significantly hampers the immune system, is a potent argument to vaccinate as broadly as possible trib.al/vEstvdB

Data from the CDC makes it abundantly clear that while fully vaccinated people can contract Covid, it’s far less common.

In fact, it was six times less common than in the unvaccinated in August across all age groups trib.al/vEstvdB

The risk of dying was 11.3 times higher among the unvaccinated during the same period trib.al/vEstvdB

The further you break down the data, the more clear it becomes that most are at a far lower risk than Powell was even when healthy.

Most bad breakthrough cases occur in older people because they have a weaker immune response to vaccines and diseases trib.al/vEstvdB

The risk of dying from Covid while fully vaccinated is most pronounced in those older than 80 — though the death rate is still below what unvaccinated people in the 50-64 age group face — and drops steeply from there trib.al/vEstvdB

Older people were also vaccinated earlier than others and may see vaccine efficacy fade more over time.

For this reason, they have been prioritized for boosters trib.al/vEstvdB

Those older than 65 who received Pfizer’s vaccine became eligible for boosters in late September.

Authorization for those vaccinated with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots is expected soon trib.al/vEstvdB

People extra vulnerabilities make up an outsize portion of those who become extremely ill.

One study conducted from March to May of this year found that 44.7% of breakthrough cases requiring hospitalization were in those with weakened immune systems trib.al/vEstvdB

People with blood cancer can have a weak response to Covid vaccines, and some don’t generate any measurable protection. That isn’t the vaccines’ fault.

It’s a consequence of a disease that specifically interferes with the body’s ability to protect itself trib.al/vEstvdB

Powell’s age and condition gave him very high risks. Individual protection wasn't enough.

He needed as many people around him as possible to be vaccinated to diminish his chances of catching Covid-19 trib.al/vEstvdB