Cases of COVID-19 among the fully vaccinated are commonly referred to as “breakthrough cases.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it means that while people who are fully vaccinated are much less likely to get sick, it can still happen.
Here is what you need to know about these “breakthrough cases” and why you should not panic when you hear about them.
What is a COVID breakthrough case? Why are these COVID cases called “breakthrough cases?”
A “breakthrough” case is when someone who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 contracts one of the strains of the coronavirus if they are fully exposed to the virus, according to the CDC.
Although people who are fully vaccinated are much less likely to get sick, it can still happen.
In some cases, a fully vaccinated person can get infected with the coronavirus but remain asymptomatic.
Do COVID vaccines offer protection against breakthrough cases?
According to the CDC, all three COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective against the virus, but vaccine breakthrough cases are expected because no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing people from getting sick.
The CDC added that there will be “a small percentage of fully vaccinated people” who fall ill, have to be hospitalized or even die from COVID-19, however the vaccines significantly reduce the chances of that happening.
Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 97% of patients were unvaccinated, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
What are public health agencies like the CDC doing to prevent breakthrough infections?
The CDC is leading multiple studies on vaccine effectiveness to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are working as they should.
The agency is also partnering with state and local health departments to investigate coronavirus infections among people who received the COVID-19 vaccine.
If I catch a breakthrough infection, should I panic?
If you do happen to be one of the few who are fully vaccinated to catch a breakthrough infection and test positive for COVID, you should not panic in most cases.
“Breakthrough infections, they tend to be mild — they tend to be more like a cold,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, professor of medicine and infectious disease epidemiology at Emory University
In New Jersey, only 49 people out of almost 5 million who were fully vaccinated have died of COVID-19 through July 12.
All of those deaths were people over age 50, with 30 of them over age 80. More than half of those who died had at least one underlying medical condition, according to Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.
“That means vaccines are about 99.999% effective in preventing deaths due to COVID-19,” state communicable disease service medical director Ed Lifshitz said.
In June, a study from the British government found that the Pfizer vaccine is 96% effective against the Delta variant after a person receives both doses.
Related stories on the coronavirus:
Can I get the Delta variant of COVID if I am vaccinated?
The COVID symptoms to look out for if you are fully vaccinated
Will we need a 3rd COVID shot? What we know right now
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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.