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An infectious disease doctor said the data underscores that vaccines are effective and breakthrough infections are rare.
Rather than focusing on 0.18% of vaccinated people who contracted COVID-19, the focus should be on the 99.82% who does not have contracting the virus, said Dr Philip Landrigan, an epidemiologist who heads the global public health program at Boston College.
“Anything that protects you from death 99.99% of the time is a pretty good deal,” he said.
From now on, the Department of Public Health will publish a cumulative tally of infectious diseases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state every week. The tally will be included in DPH’s daily COVID-19 vaccine report and will be updated on Tuesdays, with data through the previous Saturday, according to a spokesperson.
Previously, the DPH only provided data on the state’s major infections on request. The Globe requested such data throughout July as groundbreaking cases escalated across the state, including hundreds resulting from the outbreak in Provincetown, where three-quarters of those infected have been vaccinated.
Between July 10 and July 31, the total number of revolutionary cases in Massachusetts increased by nearly 75%, from 4,450 to 7,737. Hospitalizations and deaths among those vaccinated remained very low throughout. those three weeks, increasing only to 92 and 21, respectively.
“These data clearly indicate that vaccines protect virtually all residents against serious illnesses caused by COVID-19, and that everyone should protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated,” said an Executive Office spokesperson. health and social services.
Landrigan, of British Columbia, said breakthrough infections tend to be “much, much milder than cases in unvaccinated people.” Many vaccinated people who have had breakthrough infections have likened their symptoms to the common cold or the seasonal flu – uncomfortable, but not unbearable.
“The most important thing to say about these cases is that there are almost no hospitalizations and almost no deaths – not quite zero, but almost zero,” Landrigan said. This is compared to the “significant” number of hospitalizations and deaths among the unvaccinated.
Landrigan also praised the Department of Public Health for choosing to regularly publish data on the state’s groundbreaking cases.
“It’s always better to spread more honest information, because information empowers people,” he said. “It empowers the general public, it empowers the press and it allows people to make informed decisions. “
Nationally, US Senator Ed Markey urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to “remain vigilant and transparent in its surveillance of breakthrough cases” by monitoring all breakthrough infections, not just those that result in hospitalization and death, as it has been. its policy since May 1.
In a letter to CDC director Rochelle Walensky on July 22, Markey cited figures from Massachusetts. Between July 10 and July 16, there were more than 700 breakthrough infections in the state – accounting for 43.4% of all new COVID-19 infections, he wrote.
“The American public must be made aware of the continuing risks posed by COVID-19 and its variants, and public health and health officials, as well as healthcare providers, must have solid data and information to guide their decisions on public health measures, ”Markey wrote.
Camille Caldera can be reached at [email protected].
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