Why are vaccinated people getting COVID-19 of late?
The highly transmissible omicron variant is being blamed for more vaccinated people getting COVID-19 of late. There is moutning evidence that Omicron is infecting more people even though it is not making them sick and the outbreak is coincidentally unfolding on the heels of a holiday travel season.
Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota told AFP that there is a mistaken belief among people that COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infections but the shots are merely designed to prevent severe illness. And the vaccines are working effectively on that front, she pointed out.
Last month, Dr Vin Gupta, a physician and affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at Seattle-based University of Washington, also said that we have to get comfortable with fully vaccinated folks testing positive. “The purpose of the vaccines is not to prevent a positive test for a respiratory virus like omicron, but to keep you out of the hospital — and that’s exactly what they’re doing,” added the doctor, according to another report.
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People who have taken their booster shots however get strong protection against falling seriously ill with omicron. The AFP report said that initial doses are not very effective in blocking omicron infection but the boosters — particularly with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — increase the levels of the antibodies in the body and keeps the infection out.
Scientists have said that omicron appears to replicate rapidly than any other variant seen so far. And if an infected people carries high virus loads, there are more chances they will pass it on to others, especially the unvaccinated. People who are vaccinated mostly have mild symptoms, if any and this can be explained by the fact that the shots activate multiple defenses in the immune system making it much more difficult for omicron to breach them.
Though people get vaccinated they should still wear masks indoors, avoid crowds and get double vaccinated and also go in for a booster shot. The report stated that the shots may not prevent you from catching the virus, but will ensure that you stay alive and out of the hospital.
