CNN: Only 2 "breakthrough" infections among hundreds of fully vaccinated people, new study finds

[SheltieLover]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/21/health/two-breakthrough-infections-covid-19/index.html

CNN) For fully vaccinated people, the risk of still getting Covid-19 -- described as "breakthrough infections" -- remains extremely low, a new study out of New York suggests.

Among 417 employees at Rockefeller University who were fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna shots, two of them or about .5%, had breakthrough infections later, according to the study published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Snip

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN that the agency has so far received less than 6,000 reports of breakthrough coronavirus infections among more than 84 million people fully vaccinated nationwide.

The CDC said breakthrough cases occurred in people of all ages who had been vaccinated, but a little more than 40% were in people 60 or older. They were also more prevalent in females and 29% were asymptomatic.

More at link, including that CDC has set up a break through data base for states to report cases.

We all know which states won't comply! they should be required to report!

[JohnSJ]

1. I wonder how many of those break through infection are due to variants

[FreeState]

4. All of them

From the article:

The researchers, from Rockefeller University, found that coronavirus variants with several differences from the original virus caused the breakthrough infections.

A variant that infected one of the patients had the mutation E484K, which was first found in the B.1.351 variant originally identified in South Africa. E484K has been called an "escape mutant" because it has shown it might be able to escape some of the antibodies produced by coronavirus vaccines. One of the mutations found in both study participants' infections included D614G, which emerged early in the pandemic.

One of the breakthrough infections was in a healthy 51-year-old woman who received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine on February 19. Nineteen days later, she tested positive for Covid-19 on March 10 after developing symptoms.

The other breakthrough infection was in a healthy 65-year-old woman who received her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on February 9. She later learned that her partner, who was unvaccinated, tested positive for Covid-19 on March 3. In the following days, the woman developed symptoms of her own. She tested positive for Covid-19 on March 17.

[JohnSJ]

17. Thanks for taking the time to read the details

[UTUSN]

2. Thanks. Fully done since 2-25 & still holding the breath. Mask forever.

[SheltieLover]

6. Yup

I don't plan to give up my mask anytime soon. More like never after this.

[wnylib]

3. Looks like older people are more

vulnerable to break through infections, especially older women. I will not be giving up my masks any time soon. Or getting in crowds where I cannot distance myself from others.

I have, though, made an appointment for my first professional haircut in over a year.

[SheltieLover]

7. I would love to have a haircut.

Too many mask holes here though.

[wnylib]

9. My hairdresser is very good about

following protocols. Her salon is not far from where I live and I have seen her a few times when out on a walk. When I cancelled an appointment last year at the start of the pandemic, she was very understanding. Later, when I saw her while out on a walk, she gave me some alcohol wipes. She had a good supply of them for herself, but they were scarce in stores at the time, which is why she gave them to me.

I have been trimming my own hair for a year. It's passable but definitely not professional looking. The earliest opening she had was at the end of May. I am not trimming it any more, except the bangs because the back is too hard to be worth the trouble when I know it will be cut soon enough. It grows fast so I will be losing a lot of it when I finally get it done.

I will be double masked. She will be wearing a mask. I will wash and dry it before I get there. She can wet it down with a spray bottle for the cut. It will be warm enough out to leave with it damp. It's a style cut that falls into place by itself. I do not want a blow dryer swirling air around me.

[SheltieLover]

10. Sounds perfect!

Lucky you!

I've not yet found a hairdresser here that knows how to cut hair correctly. 3 5 years & not 1 correct cut.

I wear my hair layered as it's wavy & sort of curly, so it fluffs out nicely. Not 1 has been able to connect the hair on top of my head to the sides.

WhenI've asked, I get bovine stares & stupid comments like "well you must have a cowlick." I don't. Never had this problem before anywhere else I've lived.

I've not even considered going for a cut because of all the mask holes here. Even if hair dresser is wearing a mask correctly, there is 100% probability many other customers won't be & zero likelihood salons would refuse entry to maskless / chin maskers.

So pls cherish your conscientious, talented hair dresser!

[wnylib]

11. I've had problems finding a good

hairdresser, so I can relate to the frustration you feel, although mine is very straight. Too often they would do a cut that was good in basic technique, but was not in line with my face shape. Or uneven on one side. That's why I like my current hairdresser. She can do a good cut at the right length and balance for my face. I have a cowlick on one side at the nape and she is good at handling it.

She only allows one customer at a time in the salon now. All must wear a mask. She leaves 20 minutes between appointments so she can clean up and sterilize when they leave. If someone arrives early, they wait in their car until she is ready. She is very good so her customers are loyal and abide by her rules. I am lucky to have found her.

[SheltieLover]

14. You are most certainly fortunate to have found her!

She sounds like a real hair artist -- that's what they need to be to do a great job, in my opinion.

I'm guessing that the difficulty I've had with stylists in my current area has something to do with the cosmetology school(s) in this wretched area. LOL I'll have to think about how to approach ferreting out some information on which schools graduate the best stylists.

Enjoy your haircut!

[wnylib]

18. I still have a month to go before my

appointment, but I'm looking forward to it.

[SheltieLover]

19. I'll bet!

I sure would be!

[cinematicdiversions]

12. If you are vaccinated there is really no reason not to get a haircut. NT

[SheltieLover]

15. Well, except the possible contaigins from mutations of the virus

Unfortunately, I live in an area ripe with maskholes. I mean teachers in public schools are no wearing masks, many employees in businesses either do not wear masks or wear them on their chins, many - especially older caucasian men - do not wear masks at all in stores or other businesses. Recipe for disaster, imo.

A haircut is not worth risking my life for, imo.

[GopherGal]

20. I think it's hard to judge "more" vulnerable at this point.

The data are (fortunately) extremely sparse at this point, but anyone who's being reported now in April as a break-through case would probably have been vaccinated by February.

That population of early vaxxers will be disproportionately older (and the older population disproportionately female) than the rest of the US population. It's probably true that older people are more vulnerable to break-through infections, but the anecdotal data may make it look worse than it is because of this imbalance.

[Celerity]

5. Michigan officials found only 246 COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated, and only 3 deaths

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546953-michigan-officials-found-only-246-covid-cases-among-fully-vaccinated

State health officials in Michigan said they have identified 246 fully vaccinated people who contracted the coronavirus between January and March, and three have died.

Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said those individuals had a positive test 14 or more days after the last dose in the vaccine series, but some may ultimately be excluded because of a prior infection where they still tested positive after being vaccinated.

"We expect to see breakthrough cases with any vaccination, including all the COVID-19 vaccines. The number of potential cases identified to date is not in excess of what might be expected with vaccines with 95 percent efficacy," Suftin said in a statement.

To date, nearly 2 million Michiganders have completed their COVID-19 vaccine regimen with either two doses of mRNA vaccines, or a single dose of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, which is about 19.5 percent of the population.

[SheltieLover]

8. But one never knows wit all the mutations

[wiggs]

13. OTOH, just yesterday the NYT had this article describing how 18 of 26 infected nursing home

patients had already been vaccinated long before their infection. 18 breakthroughs out of 26. Not very sick, generally, but one did die.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/health/vaccine-nursing-homes-infections.html

Just reinforces that there are few clear answers with this pandemic, that there's a lot we don't know especially when it comes to INDIVIDUAL risk and health.

And DU commented yesterday on a report that Texas has a new variant that escapes the vaccines. We also suspect that the P1 variant (surging in many parts of the world) and the South African one also 'know' how to reduce vaccine efficacy.

[SheltieLover]

16. I'd read this as well!

It is scary, isn't it?

I really wish people would be responsible -- mask up and stay the hell home until everyone (ideally!) is vaccinated! But, of course, instead, everyone is dropping their precautions -- reopening sporting events and restaurants...

The uncertainty of the mutations an vaccine efficacy in preventing infection is frightening.