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LANE COUNTY, Oregon – Doctors in western Oregon are encouraging more people to get vaccinated as the number of groundbreaking cases rises.
Groundbreaking cases arise when fully vaccinated people are still infected with COVID-19.
On September 8, PeaceHealth broke down the current number of people hospitalized by immunization status at RiverBend Hospital.
The graph shows that 20 hospitalizations out of 87, or nearly 23%, are due to cases of rupture.
RiverBend infectious disease specialist Dr Bob Pelz said that shouldn’t deter people from getting vaccinated.
“There are a number of things to keep in mind,” Pelz said. “The more people in the population who are not vaccinated, the more likely it is that a vaccinated person will get an infection.”
This is because the current vaccines available in the United States were created to combat the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So if an unvaccinated person carries the virus and it mutates, it can still infect a vaccinated person.
However, Pelz said that even among those fully vaccinated in hospitals, they had much milder symptoms. He said they’re also less likely to be on a ventilator or in the intensive care unit.
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center said it has seen a slight increase in breakthrough cases in the past.
“There are probably several reasons for the increase in breakthrough infections,” said McKenzie-Willamette infectious disease specialist Dr. Buck Scholtz. “One of them is the arrival of the Delta variant in July which we know is more heritable. It turned out to be the perfect storm around the same time that our restrictions on masks are gone. “
Overall, Lane County doctors said although peak hospitalizations are more frequent than before, most of these patients are recovering quickly.
Lane County senior public health officer Dr Patrick Luedtke said current trends in breakthrough infections were expected due to the vaccines being around 90% effective.
“Overall, over the nine months of this vaccine, they’re 92% effective,” Luedtke said.
Lane County Public Health reports for the week of February 8, the percentage of new cases that broke through was 0.2%. For the week of August 9, this percentage rose to 26%. But Luedtke said almost everyone who was vaccinated was able to avoid death.
“We’re seeing more breakthroughs from Delta than Alpha,” Luedtke said. “These vaccines are really effective in preventing death. Less than one percent of all deaths from COVID-19 in the country are from people who are fully vaccinated.”
The Good Samaritan Hospital in Benton and Linn Counties said it has also seen revolutionary cases increase, but non-revolutionary cases are increasing much faster.
“The number of breakthrough hospitalizations has remained low at 10 percent or less,” said Good Samaritan Hospital chief medical officer Dr Adam Brady.
All of the western Oregon doctors who spoke to KEZI said that even though they were concerned about breakthrough infections, vaccines still work.
Doctors also said ongoing booster shots could reduce groundbreaking cases, but the priority is still getting those who aren’t vaccinated to roll up their sleeves.
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