The breakthrough Covid cases are those that contract the virus despite being fully vaccinated. According to the recent data, the overall coronavirus cases in the US are on a rise, and some people with the vaccine reported getting sick with the novel virus. As the number of Covid-19 cases increases in the US, experts suggest that the breakthrough cases of the coronavirus are indeed preventable. However, it may take a bigger effort on a community level to prevent these infections.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person who tests positive for Covid-19 at least after 14 days of receiving all vaccine doses falls under the category of breakthrough Covid infections. Most of the vaccinated people who contract the virus experience mild symptoms. Moreover, they may be asymptomatic to the virus and show no signs of infection at all.
Also read- What Happens When You Get First and Second Dose of Two Different Covid-19 Vaccines?
Even though the trials show the high efficacy of coronavirus vaccines, some people may fall sick even after receiving the complete dose. According to Dr. Amy Edwards from the UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, no vaccine is perfect. She said that no vaccine in the world can guarantee 100% protection against any virus. The same is the case with the coronavirus vaccines. Despite being highly effective against the variants of the coronavirus, some people can still develop the infection.
Dr. Edwards also mentioned that one of the reasons for breakthrough coronavirus cases is the high number of unvaccinated people. The coronavirus vaccine can prevent severe infection and hospitalization by 95%. However, the low number of vaccinated people in the community increases the risk of the spread of the virus.
Recently, the CDC warned the Americans that those with a compromised immune response may not respond to the vaccine. These individuals include those who previously got an organ transplant. Also, those who receive chemotherapy to treat cancer, undergo dialysis, or take immunity suppressing medicines fall into this category.
Older adults also have a high risk of contracting the coronavirus infection despite the vaccine. Since the immune response declines with age, it becomes susceptible to more infections. Fortunately, the infection is not as severe as compared to those who do not receive the vaccine. Experts also suggest that those living in states with a low vaccination rate have a high risk of contracting the virus. In such states, people come across infected individuals more frequently and get exposed to the coronavirus.
Also read- Drug Overdose Related Deaths Hit an All-Time High in the US
According to Dr. Edwards, the way to stop breakthrough Covid cases is to increase the vaccination rate. Consequently, the number of cases will drop and there will be a lower risk of contracting the virus. According to the data published by the CDC, less than 50% of Americans received the coronavirus vaccine. These unvaccinated people allow the virus to spread in their communities and cause infection.
The health experts suggest that the increased vaccinations can decrease the number of Covid cases. Also, it can limit breakthrough infections and reduce the number of variants. The rising coronavirus cases can cause more coronavirus variants to develop and hinder the progress achieved through the vaccines against the pandemic.
