Four people in Oregon who had been completely immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine have tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials revealed Friday.
This makes Oregon one of the first states to report ‘breakthrough cases’, which occur when people test positive for the virus at least 14 days after receiving their second dose of the vaccine.
Both vaccines approved for emergency use authorizations – Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – are 95 percent effective, meaning that five percent who get vaccinated can still get sick, which the official says is serious, but not surprising.
[This is] Not unexpected with a vaccine that, while phenomenal, with an effectiveness of 95 percent, nevertheless means that five percent may still be infected, ” said Dr. Patrick Allen, director of Oregon Health Authority (OHA) at a news conference Friday.
Two of the breakthrough cases are in Yamhill County, about 40 miles from Portland, and the other two are in Lane County, about 136 miles away.
Officials say the four people had few to no symptoms, similar to studies suggesting the vaccine may help reduce the severity of the disease.
While the OHA was unable to provide details on where these cases came from, their age, or when they got their last vaccine, they said 2 out of 4 cases are related to a single location where a cluster is.
Four people in Oregon, who had been fully immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine, tested positive for coronavirus, all of which had mild to no symptoms. Pictured: An Oregonian aged 80 or older receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Feb. 10
Both vaccines, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are 95% effective, meaning 5% of all people will get sick, so officials say there will no doubt be more of these ‘breakthrough cases’ (above)
At the press conference on Friday, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the health authority’s health officer, said that no vaccine offers 100 percent protection, which means there will be more breakthrough cases.
“All of this means we can expect more breakthrough cases,” said Dean Sidelinger, the health authority’s health officer.
Getting as many Oregonians as possible vaccinated remains a critical goal in ending the pandemic.
Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine can also help prevent you from becoming seriously ill, even if you do get sick. ‘
It is still unclear whether any of the four infections involved newer variants of the virus from the UK, South Africa or Brazil.
OHA is currently trying to get samples from these patients and sending them to the CDC for testing in a genomic surveillance program.
Officials hope to have data available on the cases by this week
In addition, the health authority announced on Friday that the number of people receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon and the number of doses shipped to the state has increased.
However, multiple vaccine sites had to close Friday and Saturday due to snow and icy weather.
Currently, 10 percent of the Oregon population has received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Currently, an average of between 1.6 and 1.7 million Americans are vaccinated every day
In total, 38.2 million Americans – 11.6% of the population – have received at least one dose, while 14 million – 4.2% – have received both doses
Although still scarce, vaccines are becoming more widely available. More Oregonians are being vaccinated every day, ”Sidelinger said.
Health officials announced Friday that Oregon weekly allocation of first doses is increasing again, from 75,000 to 82,000.
“ These extra doses will keep our timelines on track and we might even get through our population of older adults sooner, but it’s too early to say, ” Allen said.
According to the CDC, more than 70 million doses have been shipped to states in the US and more than 52.8 million have been administered.
In total, 38.2 million Americans – 11.6 percent of the population – have received at least one dose, while 14 million – 4.2 percent – have received both doses.
Currently, an average of between 1.6 and 1.7 million people are vaccinated every day.
Health officials say they want to reiterate the importance of getting vaccinated as soon as doses become available to you.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks of getting COVID-19, ”general surgeon D. Mary Giswold told the AP.