UK health authorities report a small number of vaccinated individuals developing severe COVID-19, with rare admissions to intensive care. These cases underscore the critical importance of both vaccine doses for optimal protection against infection and transmission.
On France 3's 19/20 program, physician and France Télévisions journalist Damien Mascret cited a June 18, 2021, Public Health England report from the UK Department of Health. It documented more than 4,000 vaccinated infections, including 84 severe cases and 26 deaths.
At the time, 54.2% of UK adults—36.1 million people—were fully vaccinated, with over 82 million doses administered. The report analyzed global variants of concern, including the Delta variant (formerly "Indian"), which was rising across countries.
Mascret noted that one dose reduces infection risk by 35%, rising to 79% with two doses. Vaccinated individuals are far less contagious, with transmission risk cut by 80% after one dose and 96% after two.
France's DREES reported that, from June 28 to July 4, 2021, only 6% of positive tests were among fully vaccinated people, dropping to 4.7% for asymptomatic cases. Notably, 80% of positives had received no doses.
