New Report Reveals Breakthrough Cases in Vaccinated are Extremely Rare

Breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are extremely rare events among those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new study released on Monday, August 2, by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

The rate of breakthrough cases reported among those fully vaccinated is well below 1 percent in all reporting states, ranging from 0.01 percent in Connecticut to 0.90 percent in Oklahoma.

The rate of breakthrough cases in the District of Columbia stands at 0.04 percent.

A closer look at the statistics

The hospitalization rate among fully vaccinated people with COVID-19 ranged from effectively zero (0.00 percent) in California, Delaware, D.C., Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, and Virginia to 0.06 percent in Arkansas. The report’s authors also noted that hospitalization might not have been due to COVID-19.

Further, the report revealed that the rates of death among fully vaccinated people with COVID-19 were even lower, effectively zero (0.00 percent) in all but two reporting states, Arkansas and Michigan, where they were 0.01 percent.

Even then, the researchers said it’s not clear whether those deaths were COVID-19 related.

More than 90 percent of all COVID cases and 95 percent of all hospitalizations have been among unvaccinated individuals.

In most states that track COVID data, more than 98 percent of COVID cases were among unvaccinated people, the report concluded.

Pandemic of the unvaccinated

“While the information on breakthrough events is still limited and incomplete, this analysis of available state-level data indicates that COVID-19 breakthrough cases, and especially hospitalizations and deaths, among those who are fully vaccinated are rare occurrences in the United States,” the report’s authors submitted.

“Moreover, this data indicates the vast majority of reported COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S. are among those who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated,” the researchers continued.

“These findings echo the abundance of data demonstrating the effectiveness of currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines."

“Moving forward, particularly as the more transmissible Delta variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 circulating in the U.S., more robust state-level data will help to monitor ongoing vaccine effectiveness and inform discussions about booster vaccinations.”