Why is getting the COVID-19 vaccine so important?

Officials from Joplin’s Freeman Hospital are urging everyone to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

But WHY is it so important?

“If you’re admitted to Freeman now with COVID, there’s a one in five chance you’re going to pass away during this admission,” said Dr. Robert McNab, Medical Director of the COVID Unit at Freeman.

“So our mortality is 20 percent,” he stated.

The hospital reported today it has almost 60 patients with 8 one ventilators.

Freeman officials say there have been 15 deaths in the last week among unvaccinated patients and 24 deaths in the last 15 days.

Dr. McNab said vaccination sharply reduces the incidence of contracting COVID-19 by over 90 percent.

He said the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus which is far more transmissible has made getting the virus and taking other measures to prevent contraction including mask-wearing and hand-washing especially important.