Breakthrough cases of individuals getting COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated were on the rise when the delta variant gained dominance in the United States. VP Chief Medical Officer and Regional Director of Multispecialty Services of the OSF HealthCare Upper West Region Dr. Harley Brooks says that even though this trend suggests the delta variant to be causing more breakthrough cases than earlier strains, infections among fully vaccinated individuals is still rare:
“The true prevalence of the breakthrough COVID-19 cases is difficult to track due to a lack of comprehensive testing and surveillance, but a new analysis from The Wall Street Journal suggests infections among fully vaccinated people are still very, very rare and even with the highly transmissible delta variant kept circulating in the U.S, based on data, on breakthrough cases occurring between Jan. 1 and early August provided by health departments in 44 states and Washington, D.C. No vaccine is 100 percent effective, in fact, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is only about 66 percent effective, but overall breakthrough cases have still been very rare and resulted in very few hospitalization and deaths. Being vaccinated means that you won’t get very sick and you can avoid staying out of the hospital. The effectiveness of the vaccines is very remarkable.”
Dr. Brooks informs that it is allergy season and to be more cautious. If you do experience cold-like symptoms or loss of taste or smell, get a COVID test if you are concerned. Testing is widely available and quick tests are very accurate.
