[ad_1]
Nearly one in five Oregonians infected with COVID-19 in July has been fully vaccinated against the disease.
The news represents a huge jump in the share of total infections involving fully vaccinated people – from 2% in April to 19% in July – and highlights emerging information that the highly contagious delta variant is more likely to infect those vaccinated. than previous versions. virus.
In a “groundbreaking case report” posted on the Oregon Health Authority website Officials on Thursday said about 2,400 of the 12,514 people known to be infected with COVID-19 in the state in July were fully vaccinated. That leaves 81% of Oregonians infected – just over 10,000 in July – who were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.
Public health officials, however, still make an important point in their report: “Although the number of vaccine breakthrough cases is increasing, they are very low compared to the more than 2.3 million people who have completed their series. COVID-19 vaccination program. “
Data from this month’s report highlights the nuanced and intimidating challenge public health officials face in their messages to the public: Vaccines do not offer 100% protection against infection, but two. doses of mRNA vaccines created by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. always do a wonderful job of preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. There has been more debate about the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, but a new study shows that it was 71% effective against hospitalization and 95% effective against death in a South African trial.
The latest report continued to show that the vast majority of Oregonians with COVID-19 who die are not vaccinated. As of July, 91% were among those unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, according to the report.
Fully vaccinated people are “not those who are in the hospital, they are not the ones who use ventilators and they are not the ones who die from it,” with a few exceptions, said Joe Fiumara, director of health. County of Umatilla. , which has one of the lowest vaccination rates and highest infection rates in Oregon.
Groundbreaking cases have been used as an illogical justification for avoiding vaccines, some experts say.
“The problem is, a lot of people are using this to reinforce the position they already wanted to take, which is, ‘It won’t matter. I will always get sick if I get the vaccine, ”said Fiumara.
One of the reasons experts say that fully vaccinated people could test positive in greater numbers than in previous months is that the delta variant is so much more contagious than previous dominant strains that it is more effective at infecting everyone. the world. A much higher percentage of the population is also fully vaccinated now, and therefore based on the number of people encountered by the virus, fully vaccinated people are more likely to represent a higher percentage of cases if exposed to loads. extreme virals in confined spaces. .
Dr Sarah Present, Clackamas County Health Officer, said she thought about it like this: if 100% of her community were fully vaccinated and a contagious person reintroduced the virus into the community, with a rate of d Since the vaccine is 91% effective, she would expect 9% of the population to be infected. It would therefore come as no surprise to learn that 100% of these cases were breakthrough infections.
Present said she believes both factors are at play: First, the delta variant turns out to be a more formidable foe, reinforcing the fact that vaccines are not bulletproof. Second, breakthrough cases naturally increase because more people are vaccinated.
Last week, 94 of the 404 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in Clackamas County – or 23% – were in people who were fully vaccinated.
“I think we all felt like the cases were going down and that we could see the end of this pandemic, and instead we are seeing a huge increase that could be worse than what we have seen there. ‘fall or spring,’ Present said. “It’s scary and it’s disturbing.”
Present stressed, however, that people who are fully vaccinated should feel much better about their outlook because they are much more protected against serious illness and death than those who have not received their doses.
Within two months, the delta variant became responsible for virtually every case of COVID-19 in Oregon and across the country. Scientists say it’s more crucial than ever for all eligible Americans to get a full vaccine because the full two-dose regimen of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines offers much greater protection against the delta variant than just one. dose.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, the rate of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people infected is more than five times the rate of fully vaccinated people. In numbers, that represents about 265 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated infected people per 100,000 population, compared to about 45 vaccinated people per 100,000 population, according to.
In July, five of 55 people known to have died from COVID-19 were fully vaccinated. While the state has not shared specific details for each of these cases, officials say that of the 42 fully vaccinated people who have died in Oregon from COVID-19 since vaccinations began last winter, the median age is 83.
The median age of fully vaccinated Oregonians who became infected was 51 years old. Seniors are more susceptible to breakthrough cases: While people over 65 make up 18% of the state’s population, they accounted for 27% of breakthrough infections. About 7% of cases have occurred in collective care facilities, such as nursing homes.
The Oregon Health Authority plans to hold a press conference Friday afternoon on its report on the breakthrough cases. This story will be updated. In the meantime, read the full report here.
Coronavirus in Oregon: Recent news | Live map tracker |SMS alerts | Bulletin
– Aimée Verte; [email protected]; @o_aimee
[ad_2]
Source link