Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, testifies before a House Select Subcommittee hearing on ‘Reaching the Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Science-Driven Approach to Swiftly and Safely Stop the Pandemic’, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 15, 2021.
Amr Alfiky | AFP | Getty Images
US health officials have confirmed fewer than 6,000 cases of Covid-19 in fully vaccinated Americans, Rochelle Walensky, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday.
That represents only 0.007% of the 84 million Americans with full protection against the virus. Despite the breakthrough infections, none of the patients died or became seriously ill, indicating that the vaccines are working as intended, she said.
“We expect such rare cases with any vaccine, but so far, of the more than 84 million people who have been fully vaccinated, we have only received reports of less than 6,000 breakthrough cases,” she told reporters at a news conference. Breakthrough cases occur when someone contracts the virus more than 14 days after their second injection, she said.
The CDC chief acknowledged that the number could be an underestimate.
“While this number comes from 43 states and territories, and is likely and underestimated, it’s a very important point that these vaccines work. Of the nearly 6,000 cases, about 30% had no symptoms at all,” Walensky said.
Half of all American adults have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine to date. Of the over-65s, 81% have received one dose or more and about two-thirds have been fully vaccinated.
US health officials are launching a massive campaign to convince more Americans to take the vaccine. An increasing number of people have become skeptical after the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration asked states to temporarily halt distribution of Johnson & Johnson vaccines last week after cases of a rare, but potentially fatal, blood clotting disorder were reported to the CDC.
Some supporters of former President Donald Trump have also strongly opposed taking the vaccine, causing concern for US health officials who hope that enough people will be immunized so that the country can gain herd immunity from the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, has previously said that 75% to 85% of the US population must be vaccinated to create an “umbrella” of immunity that prevents the virus from spreading.
“It is very worrying that people do not want to be vaccinated based on political beliefs,” Fauci said on CBS News Monday. “I think that’s really extraordinary because those are the ones who say you’re infringing on our freedoms by asking us to wear masks and impose certain restrictions that are public health issues. vaccinate. ”
The US currently reports 723 Covid deaths per day, according to a seven-day average based on data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
All 50 US states opened vaccination appointments Monday for people 16 and older, at President Biden’s urging.