Real World Impact & Relevance
Evidence shows that the vaccine is extremely effective in saving lives and reducing serious illness from COVID-19. Fully vaccinated people can resume many everyday activities that are not safe for unvaccinated people. Broader COVID-19 restrictions can be lifted once enough of the population has been vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus and end the pandemic.
Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine (CDC)
- COVID-19 vaccination will help keep you from getting COVID-19
- Once you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing more
- COVID-19 vaccination is a safer way to help build protection
- COVID-19 vaccination will be an important tool to help stop the pandemic
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective
- None of the COVID-19 vaccines can make you sick with COVID-19
Breakthrough Infections: What you need to know
(MIT Medical)
Breakthrough infections are not common. Anecdotal and news reports can make it feel like breakthrough infections are happening everywhere we look, but we need to view those numbers in light of the total number of vaccinated people in the country — more than 164 million, at last count. Nationally, internal CDC documents obtained by the Washington Post estimate 35,000 breakthrough infections a week, or about two hundredths of a percent (0.02%) of all fully vaccinated people.
Vaccines Slash Risks Of Serious Illness, Hospitalization And Long Covid From Breakthrough Infections, Study Confirms (Forbes)
While not able to prevent all coronavirus infections, Covid-19 vaccines drastically cut the odds of severe illness and hospitalization in rare breakthrough cases, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated (AP)
Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.
An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%.
Think the COVID-19 Vaccine Isn’t Good Enough? It May Be More Effective Than the Flu Shot (Healthline)
Though the coronavirus vaccines and flu shot use distinctly different technologies against two unique viruses, they still have the same job of teaching our immune system how to recognize and attack a virus. The COVID-19 shots appear to be even more effective at preventing severe disease, along with hospitalization and death.
COVID-19 hospitalizations tumble among U.S. senior citizens (PBS)
COVID-19 hospitalizations among older Americans have plunged 80 percent since the start of the year, dramatic proof the vaccination campaign is working … “What you’re seeing there is exactly what we hoped and wanted to see: As really high rates of vaccinations happen, hospitalizations and death rates come down,” said Jodie Guest, a public health researcher at Emory University.
Fully Vaccinated Adults 65 and Older Are 94% Less Likely to Be Hospitalized with COVID-19 (CDC)
Both mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) authorized and recommended in the United States protect against COVID-19-related hospitalization among adults 65 years and older, according to a new CDC assessment that finds fully vaccinated adults 65 years and older were 94% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people of the same age who were not vaccinated.
Scientists and health experts estimate that about 70-80% percent of the population needs to have some immunity to the virus in order to reach “herd immunity” – the point at which it is unlikely that the virus will spread from person to person. Vaccines are extremely important in reaching that point, especially as new COVID-19 variants emerge.
Is herd immunity closer than we think? (American Association of Medical Colleges)
Real-world data trickling in from other countries sheds light on how quickly the United States might contain the coronavirus through a combination of natural infection and vaccination. AAMCNews talked to experts throughout academic medicine to find out what we know and don’t know about herd immunity; how soon we are likely to reach that elusive goal, if ever; and how to overcome the barriers that stand in the way.
How Close Are We to Herd Immunity for COVID-19? (Prevention)
Is herd immunity possible with COVID-19? That’s the hope—but it has to be acquired safely and natural infection isn’t the answer due to the high risk, experts say. A vaccine is the “surest way” to develop herd immunity in a population, says Dr. Adalja. While some immunity will come from natural infection—those who fell ill with COVID-19 and recovered from it—experts don’t think “natural infection is sufficient to slow the virus,” he says.
The Science Behind Herd Immunity (WHO)
WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan explains herd immunity.
Two weeks after your final vaccine dose you are considered “fully vaccinated,” and will be able to resume many everyday activities that are not safe for unvaccinated people. Broader COVID-19 restrictions can be lifted once enough of the population has been vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus and end the pandemic.
According to CDC guidelines, once you are fully vaccinated you can resume many everyday activities. Outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people. Most indoor activities pose low risk to fully vaccinated people, especially in areas with low or moderate transmission.
Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. However, fully vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant can transmit it to others. To reduce their risk of potentially spreading the Delta variant to unvaccinated people, CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission. Fully vaccinated people might choose to mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in their household is unvaccinated.
Why you shouldn’t get a covid antibody test after your vaccine (Washington Post)
With more than 30 million people in the United States at least partially vaccinated against covid-19, you may wonder whether the shot has done its duty, arming your immune system to fight off infection. Or whether the vaccine is needed at all, particularly if you have had the coronavirus. But health experts say antibody tests — the tests designed to detect proteins created by the immune system that protect against the virus — are not necessary and can be unreliable.
