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LETTER: Here's the math that shows unvaccinated are 4 times more likely to end up in ICU

Taking into account the proportion of vaccinated versus unvaccinated Ontarians, the numbers show you are more likely to be severely ill from COVID if you don't get vaccinated, letter writer says
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RE: LETTER: If you do the math, COVID-19 data shows that unvaccinated more likely to be hospitalized, Jan. 31, 2022.

Mr. Wright's letter would be more effective if he had presented the math. So, here it is: 199 ICU patients out of a total of 448 (231+18+199) are unvaccinated. Therefore they make up 44.4 per cent of the total.

If vaccines have no effect, then one would expect the proportion of unvaccinated patients in ICU to be the same as that in the general population: eight per cent of Ontarians age 12+, or 11 per cent of Ontarians of all ages are unvaccinated.

Therefore, one would expect the unvaccinated to only make up only eight or 11 per cent of the ICU patients instead of the actual 44.4 per cent.

Since the ICU data doesn't specify age, I would use the 11 per cent of all Ontarians. This means that the unvaccinated are four times (44.4/11) more likely to end up in ICU because of COVID. Mr. Wright may have used the ages 12+ number to arrive at his five times more likely figure (44.4/8=5.5).

Either way, Mr. Wright is correct: you are more likely to suffer severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 if you don't get vaccinated.

All numbers are based on data the Ontario government released Jan. 31, 2022: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/data

Greg King, Newmarket