How well do the COVID-19 vaccines work? Stats for NJ

With ongoing concerns about the Delta variant of COVID-19, the New Jersey Health Department has crunched the numbers on the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday said a new analysis of the 4.43 million Garden State residents hwo had been fully vaccinated as of June 28 finds 3,474 of them tested positive for COVID.

“That means the vaccines in our toolbox — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson — are proving a combined 99.92% effective against contracting the virus,” Murphy said.

He said the data also shows there were 84 COVID-related hospitalizations among fully vaccinated individuals.

“This means the vaccines are 99.998% effective in protecting you against a case of COVID that would require you to be admitted to the hospital,” he said.

The analysis also found out the 4.43 million fully vaccinated New Jerseyans, there were a total of 31 COVID-related deaths, “meaning the vaccines are 99.9993% effective in preventing, thank God I might add, a loss of life,” Murphy said.

He said the numbers offer clear proof the vaccines are proving to be highly effective against this virus and are saving lives.

“I cannot repeat it enough: We do not have a pandemic among the vaccinated, we only have a pandemic among the unvaccinated," Murphy said. "Let's end this. Please, if you have not gotten vaccinated go out and do so.”

Dr. Ed Lifshitz, the director of communicable disease services for the New Jersey Health Department, said in an extremely small number of cases the vaccines will not be effective, most likely because of a variety of health issues, including in people who are immunosuppressed.

He said that’s one more reason to get vaccinated.

“You’re protecting not only yourself, you’re helping to protect those people for whom the vaccines may not work as well,” he said.

You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com