In a Department of Defense Medicare cohort study of 5.6M Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older, a group that is 80% vaccinated, 71% of COVID cases occurred in fully vaccinated individuals; breakthrough cases.
60% of COVID hospitalizations occurred in fully vaccinated individuals, which made up 80% of the total.
Prior natural COVID infection conferred a major additional protective benefit.
Breakthrough infections after 6 months increase risk of hospitalization, whether due to delta immune escape or waning immunity addressed with 6 month boosters in perpetuity remains to be seen.
Case-fatality rate down to 4% from 12% pre-vaccination, not 100% protective as some claimed, but an improvement.
DOD comes through with numbers CDC won’t release.