What You Need to Know about Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases
With the vaccine rollout underway around the world, many people expected to see an end to new coronavirus infections, particularly for those who have already been vaccinated. But the reality is no vaccine, no matter how good, can be completely, 100% effective. There will always be so-called “breakthrough infections” in individuals that are fully vaccinated, which the CDC defines as more than two weeks out from the final vaccine.
In the media, these breakthrough infections have made headlines. However, here’s what scientists and medical experts have to say about them.
Not an Unexpected Development
Health experts around the world have noted that breakthrough infections are not unexpected. No vaccine is 100% effective. For example, the Pfizer vaccine was 95% effective and the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 in clinical trials.
Given these statistics, it’s inevitable that some people who have been fully vaccinated will still come down with an infection. Dr. Anthony Fauci notes that there are likely to be hundreds and maybe even thousands of fully vaccinated individuals who get COVID-19.
However, it is crucial to compare these numbers with the tens of millions of people who have been vaccinated. Breakthrough infections are extremely rare. The CDC announced 5,800 breakthrough COVID-19 infections out of nearly 77 million people who have been fully vaccinated. Most of these 5,800 people did not require hospitalization. Many did not even exhibit symptoms. Just 7% of the 5,800 needed to be hospitalized, and 74 people died of their infection. These deaths are obviously tragic, but 74 out of 77 million is an extremely miniscule percentage.
The Case for Vaccines
Vaccines are still incredibly effective and an essential tool for stopping the pandemic. Breakthrough infections are possible, but rare. What’s more, even if you do come down with a breakthrough after being fully vaccinated, your illness is likely to be much less severe than it would be if you weren’t vaccinated.
In addition, medical experts note that the vaccine is still recommended even if you have already had a COVID-19 infection. Though there is some natural immunity that comes from a previous infection, such natural immunity is unpredictable and inconsistent among different people. For some, it may be long-lasting, but for others, it can be much shorter and weaker. As many as 9% of people who have recovered from COVID-19 may not show detectable antibodies, and as many as 5% might lose immune protection completely within just a few months.
In contrast, the vaccines generate T-cell and antibody responses with much greater strength and consistency than any immunity you might get from an infection.