A Sun Day reader recently asked two very important questions for the newspaper’s health staff to answer. Here are the Sun City resident’s questions and my column’s researched answers from The Cleveland Clinic and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
1. “CAN A “FULLY COVID-19 VACCINATED” PERSON STILL TEST POSITIVE FOR THE COVID-19 VIRUS?”
The Cleveland Clinic (June 14, 2021) reported this information on their computer site:
“Fully vaccinated” means that you completed a COVID-19 vaccine series as recommended for the best protection against severe complications such as hospitalizations and/or death.” The clinic continues, “No vaccine offers 100% protection against illness, yet it does give you a better chance to fight off the infectious consequences of being exposed to the SARS-CoVid2 virus.”
The Centers for Disease Control (June 7, 2021 and June 25, 2021) promoted agreement with the above answer on their site:
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective.” Large-scale research studies continue on the efficacy rate of Pfizer-BioTech and Moderna vaccines. The result of one study revealed the risk of infection to be lowered 91% for fully vaccinated people.
“The study also is among the first to show that mRNA vaccination benefits people who get COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated (14 or more days after dose two) or partially vaccinated (14 or more days after dose one to 13 days after dose two).” Yet the CDC continues, “While these vaccines are effective, no vaccine prevents illness 100% of the time.”
a. ” …..a small percentage of people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19 if they are exposed to the virus that causes it. These are called ‘vaccine breakthrough cases.’ This means that while people who have been vaccinated are much less likely to get sick, it will still happen in some cases…some fully vaccinated people will still be hospitalized and die.”
b. It’s also possible that some fully vaccinated people might (already) have had infections (before receiving their shot), but did not have symptoms (asymptomatic infections).
c. Other reasons why fully-vaccinated people might get the virus are the possibility of getting infected just before or just after vaccination and still getting sick. “It typically takes about two weeks for the body to build protection after vaccination, so a person could get sick if the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.”
d. New variants of the disease are still spreading around the world. “Current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against most variants. However, some variants might cause illness in some people after they are fully vaccinated.”
2. “IF YES TO QUESTION (1. ABOVE), CAN THAT SAME PERSON, WHO IS FULLY VACCINATED, SPREAD THAT VIRUS TO ANOTHER VACCINATED OR NON-VACCINATED PERSON?”
The Cleveland Clinic (June 14, 2021) answered with a response from their medical expert in this field:
Infectious disease specialist, Lyssette Cardona, MD, reminds us that, while possible, the ability of a vaccinated individual to transmit COVID-19 to other vaccinated (and non-vaccinated) individuals would occur at a low rate. The doctor states “The elderly, those with immune or chronic health conditions or those with underlying health disorders may not have the best protective response to vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccines. We are still collecting data and doing ongoing research about the vaccine responses in these vulnerable populations.”
The Centers for Disease Control (June 7, 2021) again concurred with the above answer:
“Studies show that fully vaccinated people can be less likely to spread the virus to others, even if they do get COVID-19.” In addition, research participants, “who were partially or fully vaccinated, were 66% less likely to test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 infection for more than one week after getting their vaccines in comparison to those who were unvaccinated.” The virus was also 40% less detectable in their noses. The CDC adds “While these indicators are not a direct measure of a person’s ability to spread the virus, they have been associated with a reduced spread of other viruses like chickenpox and influenza.”
