‘Breakthrough’ cases no reason to second-guess vaccine, doctors say

New “breakthrough” cases of COVID-19—cases in which someone who has been fully vaccinated catches the disease—are jeopardizing our journey to herd immunity.

WINK News asked you on Facebook if these cases made you hesitant to get a shot, and readers seemed split down the middle. But for anyone second-guessing the vaccine over this, doctors say: don’t. We already know the vaccines being administered are not 100% effective, and Dr. Rebekah Bernard with Gulf Coast Direct Primary Care says we need to remember that when we are being vaccinated.

But, even though recent cases demonstrate that you can potentially contract the virus after vaccination, they also demonstrate that, if you do, the reaction will be much more mild.

“What’s most important about these vaccines is it seems like they are very highly effective in keeping people from dying from the virus, which is the most important thing,” Bernard said. “And also preventing hospitalizations and intensive care stays.”

Bernard says this is a pretty rare occurrence, which is why the Centers for Disease Control still have strict guidelines for those who have been fully vaccinated.

“This is exactly why… even though it sounds kind of crazy when people say, ‘Well, why should I wear a mask I have been vaccinated?'” Bernard said. “It’s really just sort of a statistical situation. We know there’s a lot of COVID[-19] out there, so there is a higher chance of you getting exposed to it.”

Bernard says the likelihood of someone fully vaccinated getting COVID-19 would be less if this coronavirus wasn’t still circulating so widely; but since it is, she wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more breakthrough cases.