One hundred two people in Washington tested positive for COVID-19 following their vaccination, according to authorities on March 30. Epidemiologists have detected evidence of the more than 100 so-called breakthrough cases since February 1.
They have more than two weeks following inoculation. The Washington State Department of Health is probing reports of such breakthrough cases. It stated it is expected with any vaccine.
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According to the Washington State Department of Health, a positive antigen test or a breakthrough case is confirmed with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in a person over two weeks after they have been administered their last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Umair Shah, Washington state's secretary of health, said in a statement on Tuesday, "Finding evidence of vaccine breakthrough cases reminds us that, even if you have been vaccinated, you still need to wear a mask, practice socially distancing, and wash your hands to prevent spreading COVID-19 to others who have not been vaccinated," reported BCNN1.
Despite getting immunized, being administered a novel coronavirus vaccine, and waiting the required time for it to settle in their system, two people of that group have died, and eight individuals have been admitted to the hospital. Within the same time frame, over a million people have received the coronavirus vaccine, reported KATU 2 ABC.
The 102 breakthrough cases are in 18 counties since February 1. They represent less than 0.01% of all fully inoculated people in the northwestern US state. The majority of the cases were patients who suffered from mere mild symptoms, if any, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
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One million and two hundred thousand people have been fully vaccinated in Washington since February 1. Fully inoculated refers to individuals receiving both shots of the vaccines manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna. A third option, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, is a single shot, reported The Epoch Times.
Large-scale clinical studies detected that COVID-19 vaccines reduced the susceptibility of testing positive for the respiratory illness in vaccinated individuals by up to 95%. This is compared with those who were not yet inoculated. However, the vaccines are not 100% effective in alleviating infection. Thus, a small percentage of breakthrough cases could be expected, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
According to Dr. Ken Stedman of Portland State University, this is exactly what one would expect, and nothing is 100% effective. With the virus remaining to be prevalent, Stedman remarked it is likely we will continue to see more vaccine breakthrough cases until most individuals are inoculated.
The department did not expound on the brand of the COVID-19 vaccines such patients have been administered. Their report arrives on the day that the Virginia officials declared a serious breakthrough case four days following being administered the Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine.
The department further stated more probing is needed to identify patterns among individuals who contracted the virus upon inoculation. Investigators are working to determine details on what transpired.
Over 30.3 million individuals have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States. More than 550,000 of them have died, as indicated by data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
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