What does it mean to have a ‘breakthrough’ case of COVID-19?

Channel 2 Action News anchor Fred Blankenship informed his Facebook followers yesterday that he hasn’t been on the air or social media lately because he’s recovering from a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

“You may have noticed that I have been gone for a few weeks from WSB-TV and social,” Blankenship posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. “I like long vacations but even I have my limits. The long and short of it is that COVID found my family with a bullseye. While on vacation in California members of my immediate family came down with COVID. We took all the precautions, got the vaccinations and it still happened. We quarantined, tested like crazy and hoped for the best. My family appears to be doing just fine now. Thank you for thinking of them.”

What does it mean to have a “breakthrough” case of COVID-19?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta defines a vaccine breakthrough infection as the detection of novel coronavirus or its antigen in a respiratory specimen 14 days or more after having completed all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of April 30, 2021, about 101 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC reported, and 10,262 vaccine breakthrough infections had been reported from 46 U.S. states and territories as of April 30.

“Even though FDA-authorized vaccines are highly effective, breakthrough cases are expected, especially before population immunity reaches sufficient levels to further decrease transmission,” the agency wrote.

Because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are shown to be 90-95% effective in preventing the virus, infection is still possible and the public should still take precautions, the CDC warned.

“Vaccine breakthrough infections make up a small percentage of people who are fully vaccinated,” the agency wrote in an email to CNN. “CDC recommends that all eligible people get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one is available to them. CDC also continues to recommend people who have been fully vaccinated should keep taking precautions in public places, like wearing a mask, staying at least six feet apart from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing their hands often.”

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