March 12, 2021, 5:51 pm HST
The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) on Friday registered the first three “revolutionary” coronavirus cases in the state, which is not as positive a term as it sounds.
An innovative case describes an incident in which a fully vaccinated person (someone who received both doses) subsequently contracts COVID-19.
“This number is not out of what we would expect with almost 165,000 people in Hawaii who are fully vaccinated,” according to a statement released by DOH on Friday.
A vaccine with 95% effectiveness will protect 95 out of 100 people. This means that 5% can still contract COVID if exposed.
“This is another reason why we should all do our part to keep the case count low,” continued the department. “The lower the prevalence of COVID in the community, the less chance that any of us, even those who have been vaccinated, will be infected.”
It is important to note that none of the individuals with COVID “breakthrough” became seriously ill and none were known to have transmitted COVID to someone else. Studies of the three currently approved vaccines circulating in the United States note that they are almost 100% effective in preventing positive cases from resulting in hospitalization and / or death, in other words, “serious” cases of COVID-19 infection.
“Vaccines are preventing serious illnesses the way they were designed,” said the department.