Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a House Select subcommittee hearing on “Getting to the Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Science-Based Approach to Ending the Pandemic Quickly and safe, ”on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 15, 2021.
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U.S. health officials have confirmed fewer than 6,000 cases of Covid-19 in fully vaccinated Americans, Disease Control and Prevention Centers Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday.
This represents only 0.007% of the 84 million Americans with total protection against the virus. None of the patients died or became seriously ill, indicating that the vaccines work as intended, he said.
“With any vaccine, we expect such rare cases, but so far of more than 84 million people who were fully vaccinated, we have only received reports of less than 6,000 advanced cases,” he told reporters at a press conference. Advanced cases occur when someone gets the virus more than 14 days after their second shot, he said.
The CDC chief acknowledged that the number could be underestimated.
“While that number comes from 43 states and territories and is likely and underestimated, it remains a really important point, as these vaccines work. Of the nearly 6,000 cases, about 30 percent had no symptoms,” Walensky said. .