All see: RT-PCR Ct Value – Case Definition for the Vaccinated
BY KEN CARLSON MAY 05, 2021 03:46 PM, UPDATED MAY 05, 2021 07:41 PM
Between Jan. 1 and April 28, California public health officials recorded 3,084 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in people who were fully vaccinated. That’s out of 12.9 million people who were fully vaccinated.
“As more time passes and more people are fully vaccinated, it is likely that additional post-vaccination cases will occur,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement. “The number of post-vaccination cases remains small.”
The California Department of Public Health said it’s trying to find COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people by reviewing case and vaccine records.
Post-vaccination cases are recorded if a person tests positive for SARS-Cov-2 two weeks after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot or completing the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccination.
The state health department did not have information on hospitalizations and deaths attributed to breakthrough cases.
As of April 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 9,245 breakthrough cases among 95 million vaccinated in the United States, including 132 deaths. That’s an infection rate of .01 percent.
According to the federal agency, 45 percent of the post-vaccination cases were people age 60 and older. In 15 percent of the deaths, the person tested positive for the coronavirus but their death was not related to COVID-19. (double standard -FPS)
Nationally, the breakthrough cases included 835 hospitalizations, with about 70 percent of those patients exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
According to a CDC website, the efforts to study breakthrough cases are based on voluntary reporting from state health departments and not all cases will be counted. The CDC has not updated the number of breakthrough cases in nearly 10 days.
California’s health department said the data on breakthrough cases is consistent with findings the coronavirus vaccines are most effective in preventing severe illness.
“Given no vaccine is 100 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, we expect to find more post-vaccination cases as we continue to look for them and as additional data are received,” the state agency said.
Stanislaus County has reported 20 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in people who were fully vaccinated.
Kamlesh Kaur, a county health services spokesperson, said of the 20 breakthrough cases one person was hospitalized. The county Health Services Agency is investigating whether the patient was hospitalized due to complications of COVID-19.
State and federal agencies are monitoring for cases of COVID-19 illness in vaccinated people to make sure the vaccines are effective. And thus far the number of confirmed cases is considered encouraging.
Health officials said they expect to identify more post-vaccination cases because the coronavirus vaccines are not 100 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 illness. The often-stated purpose of the vaccines administered by county clinics, pharmacies and health care providers is prevention of serious illness, hospitalization and death.
The vaccines are expected to minimize illness for those who become infected and make it less likely that people spread the contagious disease.
Kaur said the number of post-vaccination cases is low when considering 141,072 county residents have been fully vaccinated.
“The vaccines are supposed to prevent severe disease,” Kaur said. “This shows it is working.” (CDC changed how the the Ct of the RT-PCR test for the vaccinated -FPS)
Kaur said the county health agency is part of the effort to make sure the coronavirus vaccines are working. The information gathered on breakthrough cases is reported to the state, she said.
Andrew Sheeler of The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.
