Recently a friend of mine who is fully vaccinated tested positive for COVID-19. I think the most surprising thing to me was that people were shocked that she could get COVID after being vaccinated. It seems that many people think that the vaccination will make them immune to COVID-19. As middle-aged women, we have lots of things to be concerned about, without carrying the confusion of the efficacy of the COVID vaccine. So here’s my attempt to provide a little clarity on the information we currently have.
Disclaimer: I am not a physician. This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition, nor to offer any recommendations. The information listed below is taken from the cdc.gov/coronavirus, mayoclinic.org, and the Associated Press. I invite you to do your own research.
Here are a few key points to consider:
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death.”
“Early data shows the vaccine may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.”
“Some people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will still get sick because no vaccine is 100% effective. In these vaccine breakthrough cases, “there is some data to suggest that vaccination may make symptoms less severe in people who are vaccinated but still get COVID-19. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to provide protection against severe illness and hospitalization of people of all ages eligible to receive them.” This may explain why my vaccinated friend who contacted COVID-19 had very mild symptoms and tested negative in less than a week. Her physician explained that because she had been vaccinated, the antibodies got busy attacking the virus, which shortened the duration of the infection.
Studies have found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 after getting just their first vaccine dose had lower levels of virus in their bodies than unvaccinated people who tested positive.
You probably heard that the Associated Press reported that the “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people in May 2021, amounted to only about 0.1%. And of the more than 18,000 COVID deaths reported in May, only 0.8% were fully vaccinated. These figures are based on the data they collected from the CDC.
Again, my purpose in sharing this information is simply to provide info that you or a loved one may not be aware of. Whether you have been vaccinated or not, please be careful out there. If you are planning to travel soon, be sure to check the airline guidelines, as well as the state or country restrictions.
If you have any information to share on the subject, please post it in the Comments below. Let’s support each other.