Nearly all of the covid-related hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania are among the unvaccinated, state health officials said Thursday.

Of those hospitalized across the state, 97% are unvaccinated, said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. Of deaths happening now, she said, 99% are of unvaccinated people.

“At this stage, these deaths are preventable,” Beam said during a news conference.

To try to boost fully vaccinated numbers, the department will kick off a text message campaign next week urging those with just one dose to get their second shot.

More than 254,800 text messages will go early next week to people who received their first dose between Dec. 14 and May 14 and did not receive a second shot. Beam said the campaign will be just one short text message, and she explained that while vaccines are most effective if the second shot is received within 42 days, “it is never too late to get the second shot.

“There is no excuse, and there is no time to lose,” she said.

Cases of covid-19 plummeted in the months after the vaccines became widely available, but cases have begun to creep back up in the weeks since most mitigation measures were lifted in late May. The mask mandate for everyone in Pennsylvania, regardless of vaccination status, expired June 27.

As of noon Thursday, 462 people were hospitalized with covid-19, according to the Department of Health. Of those, 87 were in an intensive care unit, and Acting Physician General Denise Johnson said 46 were on ventilators. A month ago on June 29, 341 people were hospitalized and 57 were in intensive care, according to department data.

Just under 1,100 new cases were reported Thursday.

“The disappointing part of all of that is that these hospitalizations, cases and deaths could have been prevented,” Johnson said. “We know that getting vaccinated significantly decreases your risk of getting sick with covid and being hospitalized.”

Officials said that although cases counts are ticking upward and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance this week regarding masking in areas of high transmission, the focus in Pennsylvania remains on vaccinations.

“Let me be clear: A statewide masking mandate is not currently under contemplation for Pennsylvania,” Beam said. “We are closely looking at what the CDC delivered by way of guidance for indoor mask-wearing, but at this time we want to make sure that folks are really focused on getting vaccinated.”

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