- Although the Covid-19 vaccines offer very good protection, they are not perfect.
- Concrete condoms, in general, are a bad idea, and fully vaccinated does not mean perfectly protected against Covid-19.
- Here is yet another reminder that Covid-19 vaccines are not like gigantic concrete full-body condoms.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have already been 4,115 reported cases of fully vaccinated people being hospitalized or dying with Covid-19 coronavirus breakthrough infections, report Forbes.
Statistical Datum
That’s as of June 21, 2021. Nearly half (49 percent) of these cases have been female and a little over three-quarters (76 percent) have been 65 years and older. There were a total of 3,907 hospitalizations and 750 deaths among those who had breakthrough infections, although not all of the hospitalizations may have been due primarily to Covid-19.
Breakthrough Infections
As I have described previously for Forbes, a “breakthrough infection” is when a fully vaccinated person still gets infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus, otherwise known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). The 4,115 number does not represent all breakthrough infections that have happened. They are just reported cases where hospitalizations or deaths happened to occur. Back in April, the CDC stopped keeping track of all reported breakthrough infections, choosing instead to focus going forward just on those in which hospitalizations or deaths were involved.
Therefore, the 4,115 is only the tip of the Kardashian so to speak, meaning that it’s only what’s been obvious and getting attention. The actual total number of breakthrough infections is higher although it isn’t really clear how much higher.
No Complete Prevention
Regardless, let’s put the 3,907 hospitalizations and 750 deaths in proper perspective. Over 4,000 may sound like a large number when counting something like the number of marmots in your bed. Certainly any death is tragic. But consider the fact that over 150 million people in U.S. have already been fully vaccinated in U.S. Doing a quick calculation with your abacus and your fingers and toes will reveal that the 4,115 cases constitute less than 0.003% of all fully vaccinated people in the U.S. Compare that with the measured effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, which has ranged from about 70 percent to 95 plus percent. That means that at least 5% of the time a vaccine won’t be able to prevent Covid-19 after exposure to the virus. As I have emphasized before, nothing in life is perfect, with the possible exception of avocado toast.
Continuing Risk Factors
So such numbers don’t mean that the Covid-19 vaccines are not working. That would be like saying, “to heck with wearing clothes” the first several times a racoon manages to jump into your pants while you are wearing them. Certainly, wearing clothes is better than not wearing clothes when attending a racoon rave or a business meeting or a combination of both. Similarly, your risk of getting more severe Covid-19 is still much, much higher when you’re not vaccinated, compared to when you are fully vaccinated.
Pandemic is not over yet
Nevertheless, the CDC’s latest tallies of breakthrough infections are reminders that you shouldn’t throw caution to the wind after you’ve been fully vaccinated. Unless you are wealthy enough to have your own island, the pandemic remains a threat. Until the pandemic ends, it will be important to stay vigilant and keep yourself protected.
Relatable Examples
When trying to protect yourself against Covid-19, think of Swiss cheese. This doesn’t mean eat lots of Swiss cheese or cover your body with it. It means that each Covid-19 precaution on its own has holes. And remember it’s a good thing to cover your holes, especially in public. Layering on multiple precautions simultaneously can help each precaution compensate for each others’ shortcomings. For example, when not everyone around you is vaccinated, it’s not a bad idea to maintain social distancing and wear face masks even if you are fully vaccinated. Plus, the protection that a Covid-19 vaccine offers does depend on what percentage of people around you are also fully vaccinated, what other precautions you are taking, and how much of the virus is circulating around you.
Hoping for Good
Of course, such Covid-19 precautions will not be needed forever. There will come a time in the near future when the pandemic will be declared over. But premature relaxation of precautions can leave a messy situation that will simply prolong the spread of the virus.
