Expect vaccine breakthrough cases, CDC says. Why the COVID-19 shot is still the best defense.
- More than 164 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 2, the CDC reports.
- A breakthrough case is one in which a patient who is vaccinated gets sick with COVID-19 again.
- Health officials statewide and the CDC have both continued to urge vaccinations for everyone who is eligible to slow the spread.
More than 164 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 2, the CDC reports. But some people who are fully vaccinated will still contract COVID-19. Why? And are vaccines still the best defense against the delta variant of the coronavirus?
Here's what we know.
What is a breakthrough case?
A small percentage of people who are fully vaccinated, with the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson and & Johnson shot, may still get COVID-19 if they are exposed to the virus that causes it. That's considered a breakthrough case, according to the CDC.
It's true that people who have been fully immunized are much less likely to get sick with COVID-19, but reinfection could still happen. It’s also possible, the CDC says, that some fully vaccinated people might have infections, but not have symptoms.
How can you be reinfected with COVID-19 if you've received the vaccine?
There are a few ways this can happen.
Because it takes about 14 days after getting vaccinated for the body to mount a full defense against COVID-19, it's possible some people may be exposed to the virus before they're fully protected.
While vaccines also protect against most strains of the coronavirus, new variants may still cause illness.
In Mississippi, a county sheriff died from COVID-19 even though he was fully vaccinated. The situation is rare, health officials said, but certainly not impossible, according to the Clarion Ledger.
In such cases, as Mississippi's state epidemiologist Paul Byers said, breakthrough cases can be a result of unvaccinated people transmitting the virus to vulnerable people.
The delta variant now accounts for a significant portion of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., the CDC says, noting that it is significantly more contagious than its predecessor.
The lambda variant, also highly infectious, has also been spreading across South America, and made its first U.S. appearance in July in Texas.
How concerned should you be about reinfection?
The Tennessee Department of Health reported 23,131 active cases as of Aug. 1. That's a 72.5% increase from the week before.
Among just breakthrough cases, the state has reported 39 deaths and 272 hospitalizations, as of Aug. 6.
But a new CDC study released Friday found that unvaccinated people who have had COVID-19 before are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with the virus compared to people who were fully vaccinated after initially contracting the virus.
But, if you have been vaccinated, the CDC suggests, you are at a much lower risk.
Even in the uncommon cases of COVID-19 among the fully or partially vaccinated, vaccines make people more likely to have a milder and shorter illness compared to those who are unvaccinated, the CDC added.
Current recommendations for vaccines include everyone 12 years old and older.
Should you still get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Health officials statewide and the CDC have both continued to urge vaccinations for everyone who is eligible, despite breakthrough cases.
“If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “This study shows you are twice as likely to get infected again if you are unvaccinated. Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious Delta variant spreads around the country.”
No vaccines are 100% effective, but the CDC says all three vaccines are proven to be effective against the original variant of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes COVID-19.
Where you can find free, rapid COVID-tests.
Suspect you've been exposed to COVID-19? Feeling symptomatic? A guide to getting tested in and around Nashville can be found here.
Molly Weisner is a digital producer for the USA Today network. Find her on Twitter @molly_weisner.