By Tim Mastro

DOVER — Ninety percent of Delaware’s recent COVID-19 hospitalizations occurred in individuals who were not fully vaccinated.

For the week of Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, the most recent available dataset, 120 of the 133 new hospitalizations (90%) were from those who unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, according to statistics via the Delaware Division of Public Health.

New positive cases from the same timeframe were also made up of largely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals. Of the 2,713 new positives, 87% (2369 cases) were not fully vaccinated.

“Vaccination continues to be the most important factor in reducing deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19,” the DPH said in a statement.

Three of the six COVID-19-related deaths for that week were not vaccinated.

There have been 2,307 breakthrough cases of COVID-19, as of Friday per DPH. This makes up approximately 0.5% of the 505,790 Delawareans who have been fully vaccinated.

Fifty of the reported breakthrough cases identified since vaccinations began involved hospitalizations and 25 individuals passed away, according to DPH.

A breakthrough case is defined as “testing positive for COVID-19 after an individual has been fully vaccinated for two weeks or more — although it does not mean that the infection actually occurred after vaccination.”

“Breakthrough cases continue to be extremely rare given the total number of persons who are fully vaccinated,” said DPH in a statement. “And the science is clear, the best way to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.”

Delaware has recorded an all-time total of 124,575 positive cases of the virus, including 634 reported on Saturday, and 1,900 COVID-19-related deaths.