About 125 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after the last dose.
The fact that there are a small number of “breakthrough cases” is not surprising. “I think it is in line with what you would expect from the tests,” said Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health officer.
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A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States showed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 90% effective against infection, since two weeks have passed since the second of the two doses. Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine is about 72% effective against moderate to severe illnesses, according to tests in the United States.
State officials are tracking innovative cases to understand the transmission of coronavirus among vaccinated people and whether vaccines may not work as well against certain strains of the virus. And while innovative cases are rare – 126 cases out of 568,968 people fully vaccinated in Louisiana are about 0.02%, or about 1 case for every 4,500 people vaccinated to date – they are a reminder that the people who took them their vaccines must still take precautions such as masking and distance from the public.
“The vaccine is not a blank check to do what you want,” said Dr. Julio Figueroa, head of infectious diseases at LSU Health New Orleans.
Advancement cases are sometimes identified through mandatory testing before surgery or on returning to work, not because vaccinated people are showing symptoms.
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As more people are vaccinated, the rate of new cases of discovery is expected to decrease, Figueroa said. This is partly because research shows that vaccinated people who still get COVID, regardless of developing symptoms, carry a lower viral load and are less likely to transmit the disease.
“What we want to do is to reduce the viral elimination of the entire population so that we have less and less transmission,” said Figueroa.
Other states and researchers are also tracking innovative cases, with results that also suggest that they are rare. A study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that only four of the 8,121 employees who were at least two weeks past the final dose were infected – about 0.04%. Another found that only seven of the 14,990 employees at two California hospitals were subsequently infected, a similar rate.
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In the state of Washington, only about 100 of 1.2 million people fully vaccinated tested positive for coronavirus. Most had mild symptoms, according to the results of clinical trials that suggest that vaccines decrease the severity of the disease. But eight of those discovery cases resulted in hospitalization, and two people who died were being investigated as discovery cases, according to the Washington State Department of Health; both were over 80 with other health problems.
Louisiana officials did not share data on the severity of the disease in cases of discovery or say which vaccine the individuals received.
The CDC recommends that vaccinated people continue to wear masks in public and close to unvaccinated people. Experts said that guidance could be lost as more people get vaccines, but widespread vaccination is needed to provide a blanket of protection for vulnerable people.
“You want to vaccinate the population as much as possible to obtain collective immunity,” said Figueroa. “These susceptible people, even if they have been vaccinated, will be protected.”
Emily Woodruff covers public health for The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate as a member of Report For America.