No person infected with COVID-19 who has been fully effectively vaccinated has been admitted to an intensive care unit during Canberra's outbreak.
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For the first time in nearly three months, the ACT does not have a single active COVID-19 case in hospital, however, there are still people in hospital who were initially admitted for COVID-19 treatment.
Data obtained from ACT Health showed about 3 per cent of those admitted to the intensive care unit had received their second dose less than 14 days before admission.
But nobody who has received two doses has required ventilation.
It takes about two weeks after a second COVID-19 vaccine dose for a person to be effectively protected from the virus and the ACT government has based its definition of fully effectively vaccinated on this.
About 95 per cent of those who have been in hospital have not been fully effectively vaccinated. Of those, 14 per cent had only received one dose and 5 per cent had received their second dose less than 14 days before being admitted.
About 7 per cent of all cases have been hospitalised, which is about 120 people.
ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said the territory's experience showed how vaccines protected people from becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.
"Even though you can still become infected with COVID and potentially pass it on when you are fully vaccinated one of the most important benefits is the fact that you are less likely to get seriously ill or require hospitalisation," she said.
Breakthrough cases in people who have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks have increased, with 21 per cent of new cases this week in people who are doubled-jabbed. This was up from 4 per cent early in the outbreak.
"Our extremely high level of vaccination means that we will be identifying cases in people who are vaccinated," Dr Coleman said.
Intensive care admissions released by NSW Health this week showed a similar trend.
Of the 1015 cases that were admitted to intensive care units in NSW from June 16 to October 7, only 3 per cent, or 30 cases, were fully vaccinated. Of these, 26 had significant underlying health conditions.
Only 5.7 per cent of people admitted to hospital in NSW over the same period had received two doses of the vaccine.
It emerged last week the ACT's virus hospitalisation numbers only counted those who have an active case of COVID-19.
This was despite the fact people may be still be in hospital being treated from the impact of the virus.
Canberra Health Services have confirmed, as of Friday, there were two patients still being treated in hospital who were first admitted for COVID-19. Throughout the outbreak, six people have been cleared of the virus but have remained in hospital.
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"Patients who are hospitalised with COVID-19 often present with comorbidities and may require continued hospital care related to these after being cleared of COVID-19," a Canberra Health Services spokeswoman said.
"In some cases, COVID-19 is not the primary reason for hospitalisation so that care for other underlying conditions continues throughout their stay in hospital.
"This care would be provided as required both while they are being treated for COVID-19 and once they have recovered from COVID-19."
Eleven people have died with COVID-19 in the ACT's outbreak. Five of them were fully vaccinated. Most of the fully vaccinated deaths have been related to the outbreak at the Calvary Haydon Retirement Community.
There have been seven deaths associated with the facility and ACT Health has previously reported most were receiving end-of-life care at the facility.
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