Double vaccinated persons very rarely affected by severe COVID-19 disease - cases requiring hospital care occurring mostly in the elderly

Only a very small percentage of those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been infected with COVID-19 despite the vaccination, as stated in a report based on health care registers of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). 

The symptoms presenting in vaccinated persons are, in most cases, mild. However, the risk of contracting a severe infection that requires hospital treatment increases with age, also in cases of infections of vaccinated persons.

The highest number of infections among vaccinated people occur after receiving the first dose of vaccine

In Finland, a total of 10,756 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections had been diagnosed as of 18 August 2021, in cases where the person had previously received either one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. By 18 August, a total of 3.9 million people had received at least one vaccine dose. 

A very high percentage of the infections occurring in vaccinated persons have been diagnosed after receiving the first dose of vaccine. 1,375 infections of fully vaccinated persons had been diagnosed, i.e. less than 13% of all infections occurring in vaccinated persons. This means that 56 out of 100,000 fully vaccinated people have been infected with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

"The numbers indicate that full vaccination provides good protection against infection. However, it should be kept in mind that no vaccine can provide 100% protection against infection or disease. It is therefore important that as many people as possible get both doses of the vaccine, thus protecting themselves and others,” says Tuija Leino, Chief Physician at the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

Anyone who has received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and one week has passed since the second dose, is considered fully vaccinated.

Vaccination also alleviates the disease in the elderly

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccination, a total of 290 people in Finland had needed hospital treatment due to a COVID-19 infection. Of those who had received two doses of a vaccine, 53 people have needed hospital treatment. This means that approximately two out of every 100,000 fully vaccinated people have suffered from a severe COVID-19 infection requiring hospital treatment. 

"A majority of the vaccinated who end up with a severe infection are elderly - in other words, 70 years old or over. However, even among the elderly, vaccination usually keeps infection milder than it would be without any vaccination,” says Leino. 

After being fully vaccinated, 9% of those aged 70-79 have needed hospital treatment due to a COVID-19 infection. Prior to vaccinations, almost 30% of those aged 70-79 who were infected were admitted to the hospital, and among older age groups an even higher percentage of those who were not vaccinated contracted a severe infection.

"Vaccinations have significantly reduced the incidence of severe COVID-19 infections in both the elderly and other age groups. Less than one out of every 100 people under 70 years of age who were infected after receiving two doses of vaccine have needed hospital treatment,” says Leino.

Since the beginning of the vaccination programme, a total of 248 vaccinated persons have needed hospitalisation in an inpatient ward and 42 have been placed in intensive care due to a COVID-19 infection. Of these, 53 had received two doses, with 48 requiring hospitalisation in an inpatient ward and five requiring intensive care. 

Cases of death among the elderly

A total of 97 deaths have been reported among the vaccinated in cases where the person dies within 30 days of a positive COVID-19 test result. There are 83 cases involving people who had received a single dose and 14 cases involving those who had received two doses.

"As with severe COVID-19 disease, most of the cases involving the death of a vaccinated person occur among the elderly. Of the 14 people who have died after having received two doses, 10 were over 80 years old, and three were 70-79 years old,” explains Leino. 

More information is needed on the likelihood of further infections

The information contained in the National Institute for Health and Welfare's report has been compiled by combining data from the Finnish National Infectious Diseases Register and the Finnish National Vaccination Register. At the moment, the National Institute for Health and Welfare is also conducting another register-based study, which compares the risk of illness between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The study is expected to be completed in early autumn. 

"Additional information is also needed on the transmissibility of the virus by vaccinated people. It is already known that vaccination reduces viral shedding and, in turn, infections. An encouraging finding is that the incidence of COVID-19 infections in comprehensively vaccinated age groups has fallen considerably,” says Leino.

Further information:

Tuija Leino
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Chief Physician
[email protected]