Mass. reports 4,034 new breakthrough COVID-19 cases, raising total to 0.95 percent of fully vaccinated people

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.Lane Turner/Globe Staff

Massachusetts on Tuesday reported 4,034 more COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated people since last week, bringing the total since the beginning of the vaccination campaign to 44,498 cases, or 0.95 percent of all fully vaccinated people.

The Department of Public Health also reported 45 more COVID-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people, bringing the total to 345 deaths among those fully vaccinated. The number of breakthrough deaths represents a tiny fraction of all vaccinated people and underscores the protection the vaccines provide against severe illness and death.

The deaths accounted for 0.007 percent of the 4,660,716 people in Massachusetts who were fully vaccinated, the department said in its weekly update on breakthrough COVID-19 metrics, which included data reported through Saturday.

The department also reported 148 more hospitalizations among fully vaccinated people, for a total of 1,428 hospitalizations. That represents 0.03 percent of all fully vaccinated people.

State officials and public health experts have repeatedly stressed that vaccination greatly reduces hospitalization, severe illness, and death as a result of COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, 4,667,841 people in Massachusetts have been fully vaccinated, according to the department.