Yep, getting vaxxed lowers your chances of getting COVID, and getting bad COVID

Wanted to throw a couple of new bits of data from Wisconsin that compares the rate of COVID infections for those who have finished their round of vaccinations, and those who have not.

The first is a new bit of data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. I'll give you this key graphic from July's report.

That means the rate of infection was 3 times larger in the unvaxxed vs the vaxxed, hospitalizations were 4 times more likely, and death was 11 times more likely. Obviously, there are factors that go beyond vaxxed vs unvaxxed, such as age (older people are more likely to be vaxxed) or activities that raise or lower the chances of getting infected (masking, being inside among strangers for long periods of time, etc).

Then Dane County came out later today with their weekly snapshot of the COVID situation in and around Madison. While Dane County is the most-vaxxed county in Wisconsin with lower rates of new cases overall, there is also a disparity in the rate of infection.

So yes, there are breakthrough cases (was just talking to a guy this week that had one - basically said it felt like an annoying cold), but there also is little doubt that it's significantly less likely you will test positive for the virus if you are vaccinated. And it certainly seems like the vaccine goes a long way toward keeping Wisconsinites from major complications, including death. And if you mask up inside, it's probably even less likely you get hit.

Let's do things the smart way, and increase our chances of staying well as Summer winds down and the Fall creeps in.