2 vaccinated women die of COVID in Santa Cruz county

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Two vaccinated women have died in Santa Cruz County as a result of COVID-19.

Officials said Monday that the two women, one in her 60s and the other in her early 70s, died of the virus in September.

The deaths prompted the county to urge residents to get a vaccine booster shot when eligible, especially for people with significant underlying conditions.

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the women had "severe" underlying conditions, and that these conditions are serious but would not have killed the deceased without the aid of COVID-19. 

The condition and the coronavirus created a deadly outcome that broke the county’s streak of purely unvaccinated deaths since the three vaccines became widely available.

Recently, the federal government gave green lights to booster shots. Health providers in California have been gearing up to administer the shots. 

In August, the first death of a vaccinated person in Marin County was reported.

"Death from COVID-19 among vaccinated individuals is rare, making up less than 1% of all COVID-19 deaths in the state of California," Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis said in a statement.

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