Get the Facts Behind Breakthrough Cases
Pilots Prevent
July 13, 2021
Hearing news of vaccinated individuals contracting COVID-19 can be both concerning and confusing. The fact is, no vaccine is 100 percent effective. But does that mean there’s no point getting your shots? Absolutely not.
“You’re far less likely to catch COVID if you’ve had the vaccine,” says Joe Buck, physician assistant in UP’s Health and Counseling Center. “It’ll be less severe and far less likely to be life threatening, and that’s really encouraging.”
Buck says there have been a few breakthrough cases even in the UP population. And in his experience, those cases were very mild — to the point that some individuals didn’t experience any symptoms. Asymptomatic individuals usually find out if they have contracted COVID when they’re tested as part of contact tracing.
News reports of vaccinated individuals who contract a severe case of COVID-19 resulting in hospitalization or death are alarming, but it’s important to note they represent a very small percentage of the population. According to CDC reports release in June, out of the millions of people vaccinated in the U.S., only around 4,100 people have had a breakthrough case that resulted in hospitalization. Of those cases, 76% of the people were over the age of 65.
Experts believe all of those risk factors that make people more susceptible to contracting a severe case of COVID still apply with the vaccine. “The vaccine will help boost your immune system,” says Buck, “but if you have a preexisting condition or if there’s something that makes you more susceptible to COVID, that’s still a higher risk. People over 65 will probably have more severe breakthrough cases.”
Although breakthrough cases do happen, we can all take comfort knowing that ongoing studies are proving that the vaccines are extremely effective in preventing people from contracting COVID and getting an extreme case if they do. And it’s important to note that as more people are vaccinated, the less often COVID will get transmitted, and that brings more protection for those who have risk factors or can’t get vaccinated.
“The main thing is, vaccines are the best tool we have to protect everyone,” says Buck.
