An Instagram post claims that more than 94 per cent of people in Victoria who received the first two COVID-19 vaccine doses are infected with the virus.
However, this is a misinterpretation of the latest statistics. The 94.7 per cent figure refers to the percentage of the eligible population that has received two doses of the COVID vaccine.
The claim was made in an Instagram post (screenshot here) by Reignite Democracy Australia, which describes itself as an advocacy group aimed at “maintaining individual and collective liberty.”
The post, which had more than 27,000 views at the time of publication, is a screenshot of the Victoria Department of Health COVID-19 update for August 30.
“This is so confusing…(not),” the caption read.
“Over 94% of people who got the first two doses have COVID! Wait…so that means COVID affects the vaccinated 94% more than the unvaccinated??? How is this still even a conversation?”
The Victoria Department of Health confirmed to AAP FactCheck that Reignite Democracy Australia has misread the data and that the 94.7 per cent figure just refers to the percentage of the eligible population that has received two vaccine doses.
The update for August 30 states there were 337 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria – with 14 active cases in ICU, including five people on a ventilator, and an additional eight cleared cases in ICU.
Of Victorians aged 16 and over, 69.7 per cent have received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 94.7 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over have had two doses.
Several people pointed out the post’s mistake in the comments section.
“What? I think you’ve misunderstood this. Those stats aren’t the percentage of who has covid and whether they’re vaxxed or not… It’s simply the percentage of the population that have had 2 or 3 doses…” one user wrote.
Multiple studies – here, here, here, here, here and here – show that vaccination prevents COVID-19 related hospitalisation, severe disease, and death.
AAP FactCheck has previously debunked a social media post from Reignite Democracy Australia here, and other claims misinterpreting COVID-19 case data here, here, here and here.
The Verdict
The claim that more than 94 per cent of Victorians who are double vaccinated now have COVID-19 is false. The Victorian Department of Health confirmed to AAP FactCheck that Reignite Democracy Australia has misinterpreted the COVID-19 update for August 30, which states that 94.7 per cent of Victorians aged 12 years and older have received two doses of a COVID vaccine.
False – the claim is inaccurate.
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