August 19, 2021 • 9 mins
Breakthrough infections happen when, like with the flu or COVID-19, a vaccinated person still gets infected. Learn why this is normal -- and why breakthrough infections are much less deadly -- in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/infectious/breakthrough-infections-COVID-19-news.htm
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here. When the COVID nineteen vaccine
became available, Perry Knight of Fort Lauderdale, Florida got in
line as soon as he was eligible. He had already
done battle with the virus and wasn't interested in going
there again. Before the article this episode is based on
(00:24):
how Stuff Works, spoke with him via email. He said,
I first tested positive in August and spent two nights
in the hospital because I was having a hell of
a time just catching my breath. It had to be
up there as one of the worst experiences of my life.
It's like being underwater and about to come up for
fresh air, and halfway through drawing that fresh air, a
(00:45):
tightness interrupts it. Night got both doses of the Fiser
vaccine in May, and despite that he wasn't too surprised
when he tested positive again in July. He said, I
was more of having a feeling like, Wow, I should
just play the lottery, because this luck is incredible, if
you know what I mean. I was mentally preparing to
(01:06):
go back into the hospital for another horrible couple days. Fortunately,
his second go around with COVID nineteen was nothing like
the first. His symptoms were mild and short lived, and
experience that has only strengthened his appreciation for the vaccine.
Knight said, after seeing firsthand my experience with COVID with
(01:26):
and without the vaccine, it's given me enough faith in
the medical system that vaccinations are doing their part to
protect us. It's not a shield a hundred percent preventing
the virus from getting to us, but it's a relentless
warrior who really keeps the worst of it at bay. Still,
it upsets a lot of people that COVID nineteen is
possible at all post vaccine. How does that even happen?
(01:51):
How stuff Works also spoke via email with Free Banerjee,
a faculty member in Walden University's PhD in Public health program.
He explained, but when a person gets COVID nineteen even
after being fully vaccinated, this is known as a breakthrough
infection since it breaks through the developed immune response. This
type of COVID breakthrough infection is not unusual. Indeed, it's
(02:15):
actually to be expected given the viruses recent mutations. Houstaff
Works also spoke with Dr Erin Glatt, a representative for
the Infectious Diseases Society of America and Chair of Medicine
at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York. He said,
with the delta variant, it is certainly more common. These
variants have higher transmissibility than the earlier strains. They also
(02:38):
have higher viral loads, so they are more transmissible even
to people who are vaccinated, so this is a concern
a breakthrough. Infections in general are nothing new. The medical
community sees them every single year with influenza. However, many
people mistakenly believe that vaccines provide complete and total protection.
(02:59):
But the truth is that, as with flu vaccines, the
COVID nineteen vaccines won't prevent you from being infected. They're
meant to increase your body's ability to fight the virus Effectively.
Vaccines don't prevent all infections, they just make them less
likely and prevent serious complications and death when those infections
do occur. Pharmaceutical companies, for their part, have been straightforward
(03:24):
from the get go about vaccine efficacy. Both Viser and
Maderna reported efficacy rates of for the original strain A
Visers drops to eight percent when faced with the newer
more contagious delta mutation and maderna is believed to perform
about the same, But breakthrough infections of COVID nineteen are
typically so mild that the Centers for Disease Control and
(03:47):
Prevention or CDC, stopped tracking them starting on May one,
unless such cases result in hospitalization or death, So for
CDC tracking purposes, a mild case of COVID nineteen aftervaccination
is not currently considered a breakthrough infection banners, she said. Nationally,
forty six U S States and territories voluntarily reported ten thousand,
(04:11):
two hundred and sixty two breakthrough infections to the CDC
between January one and April one. By comparison, there were
eleven point eight million COVID nineteen diagnoses in total during
the same period. Through July one, there were five thousand,
nine hundred and fourteen patients with COVID nineteen vaccine breakthrough
(04:32):
infections who were hospitalized or died in the US, out
of more than a hundred and fifty nine million people
fully vaccinated nationwide, and to do the math and put
it another way, according to this data, fewer than one
tenth of one percent of the reported cases of COVID
nineteen from January through April occurred in people who were
(04:54):
already vaccinated. So let's say you cut a penny into
ten pieces, and for every hundred cases of COVID nineteen
you have every dollar's worth. Just one of those livers
of a penny represents how many vaccinated people got COVID nineteen.
And furthermore, according to this data, through the middle of July,
(05:14):
fewer than three hundreds of one percent of people who
are vaccinated wound up either in the hospital or dying
from a breakthrough case of COVID nineteen. So take one
of those slivers of a penny and cut it into
ten even smaller pair fines livers, then count out three
of those. That's how many vaccinated people got seriously ill.
(05:37):
And now I keep saying according to this data, and
that's because the data may not be complete. Bandage continued.
It's difficult to determine the rarity of breakthrough infections as
there is not any concrete, consistent data. A certain factors
complicate how breakthrough infections are counted. The main problem is
tracking the prevalence, as many do not experience symptoms even
(05:59):
if they contract a breakthrough infection. Another challenge is to
determine which individuals with COVID nineteen are in a long
COVID phase rather than a potential reinfection. While it may
be difficult to determine just how many people experience any
type of COVID nineteen related symptoms after vaccination, we can
see that the numbers of people who get them are small.
(06:23):
Just as important, if they do get COVID nineteen, the
symptoms will be much milder than if they had been unvaccinated.
One study found that fully vaccinated people accounted for only
one percent of COVID nineteen cases. On August two, one,
the White House COVID Data Director announced that at least
seventy of adults in America have gotten at least one
(06:45):
shot of the vaccine. The two most common vaccinations require
two jabs weeks apart to achieve full immunity. This was
good news, as a full vaccination rate of seventy is
needed for herd immunity. Until that's a achieved breakthrough, infections
are likely to continue with a vengeance. As of August one,
(07:06):
only seven percent of eligible people in the United States
were fully vaccinated, and that number varies widely. By state.
The CDC had dropped its masking guideline for vaccinated people
in May, but then in late July it reversed itself
and said that vaccinated people in areas with quote substantial
or high transmission should wear masks and doors because new
(07:29):
data had shown that vaccinated people who had the delta
variant could transmit the virus as easily as unvaccinated people.
These kinds of changes in guidelines are a totally normal
part of the scientific process. We're still learning how this
pandemic works, and experts are giving us the best advice
they have every time they learn something new. This isn't
(07:50):
a flaw in the system, it's a perk. A good
science can admit when it was incorrect and then a
just course. This is all science and action, and what
science is sure of is that more people need to
get vaccinated to make COVID nineteen less deadly. The Howstuff
Works team also spoke with epidemiologist Dr Matt Weisenbach with
(08:11):
Walter's Clue or health. He said, Unfortunately, it's likely that
the remaining phases of the pandemic will predominantly impact the
unvaccinated segment of the population. Vaccination remains the single most
important choice to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your
community against COVID nineteen. Today's episode is based on the
(08:36):
article how does COVID nineteen break through in vaccinated people?
On how staff works dot com written by Leah Hoyt.
Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership
with how stuff works dot Com, and it is produced
by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here. When the COVID nineteen vaccine
became available, Perry Knight of Fort Lauderdale, Florida got in
line as soon as he was eligible. He had already
done battle with the virus and wasn't interested in going
there again. Before the article this episode is based on
(00:24):
how Stuff Works, spoke with him via email. He said,
I first tested positive in August and spent two nights
in the hospital because I was having a hell of
a time just catching my breath. It had to be
up there as one of the worst experiences of my life.
It's like being underwater and about to come up for
fresh air, and halfway through drawing that fresh air, a
(00:45):
tightness interrupts it. Night got both doses of the Fiser
vaccine in May, and despite that he wasn't too surprised
when he tested positive again in July. He said, I
was more of having a feeling like, Wow, I should
just play the lottery, because this luck is incredible, if
you know what I mean. I was mentally preparing to
(01:06):
go back into the hospital for another horrible couple days. Fortunately,
his second go around with COVID nineteen was nothing like
the first. His symptoms were mild and short lived, and
experience that has only strengthened his appreciation for the vaccine.
Knight said, after seeing firsthand my experience with COVID with
(01:26):
and without the vaccine, it's given me enough faith in
the medical system that vaccinations are doing their part to
protect us. It's not a shield a hundred percent preventing
the virus from getting to us, but it's a relentless
warrior who really keeps the worst of it at bay. Still,
it upsets a lot of people that COVID nineteen is
possible at all post vaccine. How does that even happen?
(01:51):
How stuff Works also spoke via email with Free Banerjee,
a faculty member in Walden University's PhD in Public health program.
He explained, but when a person gets COVID nineteen even
after being fully vaccinated, this is known as a breakthrough
infection since it breaks through the developed immune response. This
type of COVID breakthrough infection is not unusual. Indeed, it's
(02:15):
actually to be expected given the viruses recent mutations. Houstaff
Works also spoke with Dr Erin Glatt, a representative for
the Infectious Diseases Society of America and Chair of Medicine
at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York. He said,
with the delta variant, it is certainly more common. These
variants have higher transmissibility than the earlier strains. They also
(02:38):
have higher viral loads, so they are more transmissible even
to people who are vaccinated, so this is a concern
a breakthrough. Infections in general are nothing new. The medical
community sees them every single year with influenza. However, many
people mistakenly believe that vaccines provide complete and total protection.
(02:59):
But the truth is that, as with flu vaccines, the
COVID nineteen vaccines won't prevent you from being infected. They're
meant to increase your body's ability to fight the virus Effectively.
Vaccines don't prevent all infections, they just make them less
likely and prevent serious complications and death when those infections
do occur. Pharmaceutical companies, for their part, have been straightforward
(03:24):
from the get go about vaccine efficacy. Both Viser and
Maderna reported efficacy rates of for the original strain A
Visers drops to eight percent when faced with the newer
more contagious delta mutation and maderna is believed to perform
about the same, But breakthrough infections of COVID nineteen are
typically so mild that the Centers for Disease Control and
(03:47):
Prevention or CDC, stopped tracking them starting on May one,
unless such cases result in hospitalization or death, So for
CDC tracking purposes, a mild case of COVID nineteen aftervaccination
is not currently considered a breakthrough infection banners, she said. Nationally,
forty six U S States and territories voluntarily reported ten thousand,
(04:11):
two hundred and sixty two breakthrough infections to the CDC
between January one and April one. By comparison, there were
eleven point eight million COVID nineteen diagnoses in total during
the same period. Through July one, there were five thousand,
nine hundred and fourteen patients with COVID nineteen vaccine breakthrough
(04:32):
infections who were hospitalized or died in the US, out
of more than a hundred and fifty nine million people
fully vaccinated nationwide, and to do the math and put
it another way, according to this data, fewer than one
tenth of one percent of the reported cases of COVID
nineteen from January through April occurred in people who were
(04:54):
already vaccinated. So let's say you cut a penny into
ten pieces, and for every hundred cases of COVID nineteen
you have every dollar's worth. Just one of those livers
of a penny represents how many vaccinated people got COVID nineteen.
And furthermore, according to this data, through the middle of July,
(05:14):
fewer than three hundreds of one percent of people who
are vaccinated wound up either in the hospital or dying
from a breakthrough case of COVID nineteen. So take one
of those slivers of a penny and cut it into
ten even smaller pair fines livers, then count out three
of those. That's how many vaccinated people got seriously ill.
(05:37):
And now I keep saying according to this data, and
that's because the data may not be complete. Bandage continued.
It's difficult to determine the rarity of breakthrough infections as
there is not any concrete, consistent data. A certain factors
complicate how breakthrough infections are counted. The main problem is
tracking the prevalence, as many do not experience symptoms even
(05:59):
if they contract a breakthrough infection. Another challenge is to
determine which individuals with COVID nineteen are in a long
COVID phase rather than a potential reinfection. While it may
be difficult to determine just how many people experience any
type of COVID nineteen related symptoms after vaccination, we can
see that the numbers of people who get them are small.
(06:23):
Just as important, if they do get COVID nineteen, the
symptoms will be much milder than if they had been unvaccinated.
One study found that fully vaccinated people accounted for only
one percent of COVID nineteen cases. On August two, one,
the White House COVID Data Director announced that at least
seventy of adults in America have gotten at least one
(06:45):
shot of the vaccine. The two most common vaccinations require
two jabs weeks apart to achieve full immunity. This was
good news, as a full vaccination rate of seventy is
needed for herd immunity. Until that's a achieved breakthrough, infections
are likely to continue with a vengeance. As of August one,
(07:06):
only seven percent of eligible people in the United States
were fully vaccinated, and that number varies widely. By state.
The CDC had dropped its masking guideline for vaccinated people
in May, but then in late July it reversed itself
and said that vaccinated people in areas with quote substantial
or high transmission should wear masks and doors because new
(07:29):
data had shown that vaccinated people who had the delta
variant could transmit the virus as easily as unvaccinated people.
These kinds of changes in guidelines are a totally normal
part of the scientific process. We're still learning how this
pandemic works, and experts are giving us the best advice
they have every time they learn something new. This isn't
(07:50):
a flaw in the system, it's a perk. A good
science can admit when it was incorrect and then a
just course. This is all science and action, and what
science is sure of is that more people need to
get vaccinated to make COVID nineteen less deadly. The Howstuff
Works team also spoke with epidemiologist Dr Matt Weisenbach with
(08:11):
Walter's Clue or health. He said, Unfortunately, it's likely that
the remaining phases of the pandemic will predominantly impact the
unvaccinated segment of the population. Vaccination remains the single most
important choice to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your
community against COVID nineteen. Today's episode is based on the
(08:36):
article how does COVID nineteen break through in vaccinated people?
On how staff works dot com written by Leah Hoyt.
Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership
with how stuff works dot Com, and it is produced
by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
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