ANTI VACCINES CAMPAIGNERS BUILD CASES AROUND COLIN POWELL’S DEATH OF COVID-19 COMPLICATIONS DESPITE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED

The death of the former United States secretary of states of COVID-19 complications despite been fully vaccinated is now a reference point for anti vaxxers.

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; 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.

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. The risk of dying was 11.3 times higher among the unvaccinated during the same period.

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

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 .

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.

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