Vaccinations remain broadly effective at preventing being hospitalized for COVID-19, a New York State Department of Health study on so-called "breakthrough" infections released on Wednesday found.

The study lends added credence to the effectiveness of vaccinations as public health officials try to boost rates among those who are yet to receive their shots as the more contagious delta variant of the virus spreads across the country.

Officials studied hospitalizations among vaccinated New Yorkers age 18 years and older, comparing those rates among the unvaccinated from May 3 to July 25.

“This study demonstrates that state-level COVID-19 surveillance data can be practically analyzed to assess COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, vaccine coverage, vaccine effectiveness, and rate of breakthrough infections," said Dr. David Holtgrave, dean of the University at Albany’s School of Public Health. "The data presented here are highly useful for informing COVID-19 prevention efforts including vaccination programs and multi-layered strategies.”

Researchers found vaccines remain about 92% to 95% effective at preventing hospitalizations among those who have been vaccinated. Effectiveness of the vaccines dropped from 92% to 80% in reducing COVID-19 cases, but researchers stressed the vaccines remain key in lowering new cases and hospitalizations.

The number of people hospitalized in New York has increased this summer, and the state on Tuesday reported 1,813 COVID-19 patients. More than 68% of New York adults are fully vaccinated.

“The findings of our research are clear: Vaccines provide the strongest protection for New Yorkers against getting infected or becoming hospitalized due to COVID-19,” said senior author and State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “I applaud the research and work done by our scientists and continue to encourage all New Yorkers to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Our study indicates while breakthrough cases of COVID-19 are rare, fully vaccinated New Yorkers still need to remain vigilant as the Delta variant has led to increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. We are proud that our research is informing our federal partners on policy decisions affecting people across the nation.”

More information on the study can be found here.