March 12, 2021, 5:51 PM HST
The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) noted Friday the state’s first three “advanced” cases of coronavirus, which is not as positive as it sounds.
An advanced case describes an incident in which a fully vaccinated person (someone who received both doses) subsequently contracted COVID-19.
“That number is not out of what we would expect with nearly 165,000 people in Hawaii being completely vaccinated,” according to a statement released by the DOH on Friday.
A vaccine with 95% effectiveness will protect 95 out of 100 people. This means that 5% can still contract COVID if exposed.
“This is another reason why we all need to do our part to keep the number of cases low,” the department continued. “The lower the prevalence of COVID in the community, the less likely it is that any of us, even those who have been vaccinated, will be infected.”
It is important to note that none of the people with “advanced” COVID suffered from serious illness and are not known to have transmitted COVID to another person. Studies on the three currently approved vaccines circulating in the United States indicate that they are almost 100% effective in preventing positive cases from causing hospitalization and / or death, that is, “severe” cases of COVID-19 infection.
“Vaccines are preventing serious disease as they are designed to do so,” the department said.