Los Angeles County ilustration: COVID data show stark difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated

LA County COVID data show stark difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated New data from Los Angeles County shows a sharp difference in the likelihood of death or hospitalization from COVID-19 in those who have been vaccinated versus those who have not. ABC7 Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County reported more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases in one day on Thursday - but as grim as that news sounds, new data also shows how effective vaccines have been at containing the virus' most severe consequences: deaths and hospitalizations.

Health officials have acknowledged that the vaccines do not entirely prevent transmission of the virus or development of symptoms in all cases but they do substantially reduce the likelihood of severe illness that leads to hospitalization or death.

Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday that unvaccinated people in the county are 14 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those that have been fully vaccinated.

"Vaccines continue to offer an extraordinary level of protection against hospitalizations and against the worst of all outcomes - passing away," Ferrer said.

The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated people is 28 per 100,000 residents in LA County, while the rate for the vaccinated has remained relatively flat at 1 per 100,000, she said.

More than 27,000 people have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Of them, 602 were vaccinated. That represents just 0.01% of the 6.3 million people who have been vaccinated in Los Angeles County.

Of those 6.3 million, 127,172 have tested positive for a rate of 2%. By comparison, the county's overall test positivity rate has passed 20% this week. ...