LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – A California couple say they are fully vaccinated but still contracted COVID-19 while on vacation as experts say breakthrough cases are possible, especially with the Delta variant.
However, health officials say the vaccine is still your best defense against the virus.
The highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus, originally identified in India, is now the dominant strain in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials and experts alike have warned that the Delta variant is a more contagious version of the disease, and preliminary data suggest it may increase the risk of hospitalization. The variant has also proven to be particularly dangerous for people who have not been vaccinated or who have been partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
However, current evidence suggests that the full dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is very effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness.
Data updated by the CDC last week shows that the so-called Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, represented an estimated 51.7% of all new cases of COVID-19 across the country as of July 3.
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In June, after more than a year of pandemic stress, Sean Fruit and his wife decided to go to Las Vegas.
They were fully vaccinated and drove to their destination to avoid planes as an extra precaution.
Once there, Fruit said they weren’t wearing masks.
“I took the option of taking my mask off, and now that I look back on it, it’s probably a bad idea,” said Fruit.
When they returned to live with their two children in San Benito County, Fruit went bad. He and his wife tested positive for COVID-19.
“It was extremely frustrating because we had just spent a year and a half avoiding this thing and it was scary. I mean, I brought home the life-threatening disease that was killing people all over the country, “explained Fruit, who added,” The only thing worse is knowing that I gave it to my children. “
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Too young to be vaccinated, her seven- and nine-year-old children had congestion and a low temperature. But Fruit, who has a history of sinus infections, was sick in bed.
“I’ve never felt so much pain in my head in my life. Based on my medical history, I’m pretty confident that if I hadn’t had the vaccination flare I might not be standing here talking to you.” said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is some evidence that vaccination makes the disease less serious in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
“Even so, some fully vaccinated people are still hospitalized and dying. However, it is much less common for fully vaccinated people to be hospitalized or die than people with similar risk factors who are not vaccinated,” the CDC said.
Fruit and his family are okay now, but they’re part of a changing pattern in groundbreaking COVID cases.
The CDC said “vaccine breakthrough cases are expected”.
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective and a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control. However, no vaccines are 100% effective in preventing disease in vaccinated people, hospitalized or dying of COVID-19, “the CDC said.
Regarding the variants, the CDC said, “New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease are spreading in the United States. Recent data suggests that COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States will protect against most variants, some variants may cause disease in some people after they are fully vaccinated. “
Our sister broadcaster KGO-TV reports that two of nine COVID patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital last week were vaccinated. Of 13 COVID patients in Marin County’s hospitals, two were also fully vaccinated.
“Right now we are about one in five of our cases among people who are vaccinated, before that it was about one in ten,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Health Officer. “Apparently there is concern that the vaccine against the Delta variant may not be quite as effective.”
Willis said the vaccinated patients at Marin Hospital were older and had previous illnesses; he also said they were fine compared to unvaccinated patients.
“This is not an indictment of the vaccine’s effectiveness, but I think it is a reminder that variants are real, they pose a risk to us, and our best line of defense is still to get this vaccine,” Willis said.
The CDC said, “Current data suggests that COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States will protect against most of the SARS-CoV-2 variants currently circulating in the United States. However, variants will cause some breakthrough vaccine cases. “
The CDC continues to monitor groundbreaking cases.
In May, the CDC moved from monitoring all reported vaccine breakthrough cases to focus on identifying and investigating only hospitalized or fatal cases for any reason. This shift will help maximize the quality of the data collected on cases of greatest clinical and public concern.
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As of July 6, more than 157 million people in the United States were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC reported.
At the same time, the CDC received reports from 48 states and territories of 5,186 patients with a breakthrough COVID-19 vaccine infection who were hospitalized or who died. People aged 65 or older made up 75%.
“Vaccine breakthrough cases only occur in a small percentage of people vaccinated. To date, no unexpected patterns in demographics or vaccine characteristics have been identified in people with reported breakthrough vaccine infections, ”the CDC said.
Sean Fruit said he would get the vaccine again, but he would do something differently when it came to his mask.
“Even if I can take it off, I shouldn’t have taken it off,” said Fruit.
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ABC News contributed to this report.
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