MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota health officials are looking for positive cases of COVID-19 after someone has been completely vaccinated.
These types of infections are called “vaccine progression cases.” The Minnesota Department of Health says it is important to follow up on positive cases 14 days or more after a second vaccine. It could help disease control and prevention centers better understand the length of vaccine immunity.
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Karla was relieved when her 79-year-old mother, Sharon, received her second dose of COfID-19 vaccine from Pfizer on February 10th. Thirteen days later, he tested positive for the virus after feeling unwell.
“I was very worried about her,” Karla said. “I had a sore throat and cough, and I say, ‘Mom, you have to go do COVID tests.’
Within a few days, it felt good. The new data suggests that people are well protected after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and that they are about 95% effective after the second dose, according to Kris Ehresmann of MDH.
“The vaccine is 95% effective, which means that theoretically out of 100 people vaccinated there may be five who do not have the same level of response to provide protection,” Ehresmann said.
This week, MDH sent advice to health care providers asking them to look for people who tested positive for COVID 14 days after completing the second dose, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic.
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Although Sharon’s case is not considered a breakthrough in the vaccine, as her positive test came before the two-week limit after her second dose, health officials say it is a reminder to continue. taking precautions.
“We still need to mask ourselves, we need to make sure we are socially distancing ourselves and take into account these mitigation guideline measures that we have been talking about for the last year,” Ehresmann said.
Karla says she is grateful that her mother has only mild symptoms.
“It’s possible that if I hadn’t had the vaccine it would have been totally different,” he said.
MDH says they have had 14 advanced cases of COVID confirmed in Minnesota. All were to health workers and were only detected because they are routinely examined for work. In addition, they all had mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
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The CDC claims that even the flu vaccine only reduces the risk by between 40% and 60%.