Breakthrough

As more Americans are receiving COVID vaccinations, there are reports of COVID occurring in individuals who have been fully vaccinated.  Can this really happen?

Yes, you may still become sick from a SARS-CoV-2 infection even if more than two weeks have passed since your final vaccine injection.  “Breakthrough” is the term for this type of infection, and many state health departments have reported breakthrough infections.  According to current CDC reports, over 50 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 15.1% of the total U.S. population, yet 7-day rolling averages for new COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions for COVID are up 6.7% and 2.6% respectively.

We know that breakthrough infections occur with other vaccines.  In years past, many patients were admitted to the hospital for flu even though they received a flu vaccine earlier in the season.  We may be seeing a similar phenomenon with the COVID vaccine.  Furthermore, we still do not know whether most breakthrough infections are caused by the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, or one of the emerging variants.  It is possible that vaccine is less effective against one or more variants.

We have a lot to learn about breakthrough infections, but this much is clear: the pandemic is not over, and the vaccine is not a panacea.  While vaccine may provide an added layer of protection against dying from COVID, it does not prevent contraction of disease.  For now we must continue to do what we know keeps us safe: mask in public and keep apart, even if you have received a vaccine.