NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Nashville Mayor John Cooper is highlighting the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, stating on Twitter of the 106 Nashvillians who have died from the virus since vaccinations were made available to everyone, 97% of deaths have been among the unvaccinated.
Mayor Cooper shared statistics from the city, stating 1 of the 7 newly reported deaths the last 48 hours was a vaccinated individual but just 3 of the 961 Nashvillians who have died were vaccinated. The average age of the 7 deaths this week was 53-years-old. "Since vaccinations were open to everyone age 55+, 106 Nashvillians have died of COVID. 97% of those victims were unvaccinated," Mayor Cooper added.
247 Nashvillians are currently hospitalized among the 3,754 current cases. FOX 17 News spoke with Dr. Todd Rice, ICU Director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) on Tuesday, Dr. Rice stating the breakthrough cases among the vaccinated he has seen have underlying issues.
“The patients that I’ve seen in the ICU that are breakthrough cases, every single one of them is immuno-suppressed,” Dr. Rice said. “They have a transplant or rheumatologic disease that they take immunosuppressant drugs for to treat. If you don't have one of those diseases and you get vaccinated you pretty much are protected for the most part from needing the hospital and definitely from coming to the ICU and from dying."
Hospitalization has been a concern for the state as there are only 8% of ICU beds available in the state to care for a growing number of COVID-19 patients as well as those needing other medical assistance.