Vaccinated California man gets groundbreaking COVID case after trip to Las Vegas, spreads to his family

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – A California couple said they were fully vaccinated, but still contracted COVID-19 while on vacation, as experts say groundbreaking cases are possible, especially with the delta variant.

However, health officials say the vaccine remains the best defense against the virus.

The highly contagious variant of the new coronavirus that was initially identified in India is now the dominant strain in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials and experts have warned that the delta variant is a more infectious version of the disease, and preliminary data indicates that it may increase the risk of hospitalization. The variant has also been found to be particularly dangerous for those who are not or partially vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, current evidence suggests that the full dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is very effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness.

Data updated by the CDC last week shows the so-called delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, accounted for 51.7% of all new COVID-19 cases across the country in the 3 July.

In June, after more than a year of pandemic stress, Sean Fruit and his wife decided to head to Las Vegas.

They were fully vaccinated and drove to their destinations to avoid planes as an added precaution.

Once there, Fruit said they were not wearing masks.

“I took the option of removing my mask, and now that I think about it, that’s probably a bad idea,” Fruit said.

When they returned home with their two children to San Benito County, Fruit began to feel ill. He and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19.

“It was extremely frustrating because we just spent a year and a half avoiding this thing and it was scary. I mean, I brought home the deadly disease that has killed people across the country.” , explained Fruit, who added, “The only thing worse than that is knowing that I gave it to my children.”

Too young to be vaccinated, their seven and nine-year-old children suffered from congestion and mild fevers. But Fruit, who has a history of sinus infections, was sick in bed.

“I had never felt such intense pain in my head in my life. With my medical history, I’m pretty confident that if I hadn’t had the boost from the vaccination, I might not be there talking to you right now, “he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is evidence that vaccination can make the disease less severe in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

“Despite this, some fully vaccinated people will still be hospitalized and die. However, fully vaccinated people are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than people with similar risk factors who are not vaccinated,” said the CDC.

Fruit and her family are doing well now, but they are part of a changing pattern in groundbreaking COVID cases.

The CDC said “cases of vaccine discovery are expected.”

“COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are an essential tool in bringing the pandemic under control. However, no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease in people who are vaccinated. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized or die from COVID-19, ”the CDC said.

Regarding the variants, the CDC said, “New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease are spreading in the United States. Current data suggests that COVID-19 vaccines licensed in the United States provide protection against most variants. However, some variants can cause illness in some people after they are fully vaccinated. “

Our sister channel KGO-TV reports that out of nine COVID patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital last week, two were vaccinated. Of 13 COVID patients in Marin County hospitals, two were also fully vaccinated.

“Right now we are about one in five of those vaccinated, before it was about one in ten,” said Dr Matt Willis, Marin County health officer. “Obviously the problem is that the vaccine might not be as effective against the delta variant.”

Willis said patients vaccinated at Marin Hospital are older and have underlying conditions; he also said they were doing well compared to unvaccinated patients.

“This is not an accusation of the effectiveness of the vaccine, but I think it reminds us that the variants are real, they pose a risk to us, and our best line of defense is always to receive this vaccine,” he said. said Willis.

The CDC said, “Current data suggests that COVID-19 vaccines licensed for use in the United States provide protection against most of the variants of SARS-CoV-2 currently circulating in the United States. However, the variants will cause cases of vaccine disruption.

The CDC continues to monitor breakthrough cases.

Effective May 1, the CDC moved from monitoring all reported vaccine breakthrough cases to identifying and investigating only hospitalized or fatal cases, regardless of cause. This change, they said, will help maximize the quality of data collected on cases of greatest clinical and public health importance.

As of July 6, more than 157 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC reported.

At the same time, the CDC has received reports from 48 U.S. states and territories of 5,186 patients with breakthrough infection with the COVID-19 vaccine who have been hospitalized or have died. People aged 65 and over accounted for 75%.

“Vaccine breakthrough cases only occur in a small percentage of people vaccinated. To date, no unexpected patterns have been identified in case demographics or vaccine characteristics in people who have reported vaccine breakthrough infections.” , said the CDC.

Sean Fruit has said he will get the vaccine again, but do something different with his mask.

“Even though I’m allowed to take it off, I shouldn’t have taken it off,” Fruit said.

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ABC News contributed to this report.