This part seems relevant - “fully immunized people with so-called breakthrough infections”
Did you read the article by chance?
Even the vaccinated carry high virus levels if they become infected, the agency concluded, making it likely they can transmit the virus as often as the unvaccinated.
So all in the same article they go from “very rarely” to “break-through cases” to “vaccinated carry as much virus unvaccinated”.
The problem with all of this, is that the vaccinated are no longer being tested unless they have been hospitalized.
The vaccines remain powerfully effective against severe illness and death, and infections in vaccinated people are thought to be comparatively rare. But the revelation follows a series of other findings this week about the Delta variant, all of which have upended scientists’ understanding of the coronavirus.
I found a very similar article that I was about to post here. I'll put the link below and then my takeaway:
A federal investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month in a Massachusetts county that’s home to Cape Cod found that 74% of the 469 infections were among vaccinated people, a finding that raises questions about the prevalence of breakthrough infections.
The research, published Friday afternoon by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the latest indication that people who are fully vaccinated may need to return to mask wearing, social distancing and other mitigation measures as the more infectious delta variant tears through the U.S.
Here’s what we know about the breakthrough infections (in the federal investigation referenced above):
• 274, or 79%, of the fully vaccinated people who tested positive for the virus were symptomatic.
• Out of the 133 specimens that were sequenced in this outbreak, 119, or 89%, were from the delta variant, and one sample had the delta AY.3 sublineage.
• Four of the five people who were hospitalized in this outbreak were vaccinated. No one died.
• 301, or 87%, of the people who had been vaccinated and tested positive were men; their median age was 42.
• Of the people who reported breakthrough infections, 159, or 46%, had gotten the BioNTech/Pfizer Inc. vaccine; 131, or 38%, had received the Moderna shot; and 56, or 16%, had been administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
It's easy to jump on the high % numbers of breakthrough infections. I can see where someone could claim the vaccine failed a lot of people in this instance. But only 5 were hospitalized, meaning not much burden on the local healthcare professionals. And 0 died.
I was just commenting on the quote you posted, which doesn’t necessarily seem contradictory. I agree the full article does.
What do you mean by vaccinated aren’t getting tested? The article said there were a few hundred vaccinated cases in that county and only 5 were hospitalized. Also seems unlikely that vaccinated people would get tested unless they were pretty bad off. Is the idea that hospitals won’t test people who come in because they’re vaccinated?
The vaccines remain powerfully effective against severe illness and death, and infections in vaccinated people are thought to be comparatively rare. But the revelation follows a series of other findings this week about the Delta variant, all of which have upended scientists’ understanding of the coronavirus.
I found a very similar article that I was about to post here. I'll put the link below and then my takeaway:
A federal investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month in a Massachusetts county that’s home to Cape Cod found that 74% of the 469 infections were among vaccinated people, a finding that raises questions about the prevalence of breakthrough infections.
The research, published Friday afternoon by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the latest indication that people who are fully vaccinated may need to return to mask wearing, social distancing and other mitigation measures as the more infectious delta variant tears through the U.S.
Here’s what we know about the breakthrough infections (in the federal investigation referenced above):
• 274, or 79%, of the fully vaccinated people who tested positive for the virus were symptomatic.
• Out of the 133 specimens that were sequenced in this outbreak, 119, or 89%, were from the delta variant, and one sample had the delta AY.3 sublineage.
• Four of the five people who were hospitalized in this outbreak were vaccinated. No one died.
• 301, or 87%, of the people who had been vaccinated and tested positive were men; their median age was 42.
• Of the people who reported breakthrough infections, 159, or 46%, had gotten the BioNTech/Pfizer Inc. vaccine; 131, or 38%, had received the Moderna shot; and 56, or 16%, had been administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
It's easy to jump on the high % numbers of breakthrough infections. I can see where someone could claim the vaccine failed a lot of people in this instance. But only 5 were hospitalized, meaning not much burden on the local healthcare professionals. And 0 died.
Unless someone (else) was rooting for a higher number of deaths and hospitalizations, I'm not sure what goalposts have changed.
So it went from the vaccine is actually supposed to be preventing people from getting COVID, to now it’s as long as it keeps you out of the hospital (which of course is a great thing) is the marker. So the vaccinated now [expletive] and moan about having to wear a mask again, blame the unvaccinated for still spreading the virus all the while they are spreading it just as much.
This just makes me think of the Mark Twain quote:
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled”
I don't have a problem wearing a mask, even though I have been fully vaccinated for ~2 months. And the reason I got the vaccine was because my doctor told me: It's not going to make you invincible, but it will greatly reduce your risk of hospitalization and reduce your chance of death to virtually zero.
That was the only sales pitch I needed, because I knew I could control a lot of the circumstances I find myself in, like not shopping in stores, only gathering with others outdoors, wearing masks when unable to gather outdoors, working from home, etc. and I don't have any pre-existing medical conditions like others in this thread have mentioned.
In some ways, it could have been easy for me to go unvaccinated because I can control so many other factors of daily life. However, I do have kiddos who could bring who-knows-what home from school. I also know that 1 of the 2 kiddos is still too young to get a vaccine, so I'm doing what I can to protect my entire family.
I don't have a problem wearing a mask, even though I have been fully vaccinated for ~2 months. And the reason I got the vaccine was because my doctor told me: It's not going to make you invincible, but it will greatly reduce your risk of hospitalization and reduce your chance of death to virtually zero.
That was the only sales pitch I needed, because I knew I could control a lot of the circumstances I find myself in, like not shopping in stores, only gathering with others outdoors, wearing masks when unable to gather outdoors, working from home, etc. and I don't have any pre-existing medical conditions like others in this thread have mentioned.
In some ways, it could have been easy for me to go unvaccinated because I can control so many other factors of daily life. However, I do have kiddos who could bring who-knows-what home from school. I also know that 1 of the 2 kiddos is still too young to get a vaccine, so I'm doing what I can to protect my entire family.
I apologize, I’ve been having to defend my position from an onslaught of different people. And I totally understand why you made the personal choice to get vaccinated. I don’t have any problem w/ someone getting the vaccine, it’s 100% their choice. I just wish those feelings went both ways.
Do I wish everyone who could get vaccinated, would actually go get vaccinated? Sure. I'm just not very vocal about it. So you can be silently frustrated with me, I guess.
But here's why I feel that way: I don't want to see people needlessly die. Could you get fully vaccinated and then get hit by a bus? Sure, but they don't make bus vaccines, so we roll the dice every time we cross the street. And we're all going to die at some point. Preventing needless deaths would, you know, be kind of good.
I jest to bring some levity to the thread, but I have a feeling that, no matter how eloquently (or not) someone states their case for vaccination, my guess is it's because (at least in part) they want to see the unvaccinated be around for a while. That they enjoy their company, or conversations, or whatever they bring to the other's life. It's from a place of caring, not animosity.
And I'm not drunk or stoned. Most people aren't that loving and caring. They're mostly looking out for #1. But I don't think anyone could convince me that there isn't some element of compassion for our fellow humans that is applicable to most of these discussions, whether they take place online or in-person.
