When a person has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus yet still tests positive for it, this is known as a "breakthrough" COVID-19 case. In Washington state, at least 102 cases have been reported, including two deaths, according to the Washington State Department of Health. (Related: Over 100 fully vaccinated people in Washington state have contracted COVID, showing yet again that the vaccines don't prevent infection.)
The state Health Department attempted to downplay the two breakthrough cases that passed away by claiming they were from people who were over 80 years old and suffering from other underlying health concerns.
The Washington DOH further added that breakthrough cases are "expected with any shot."
"It is important to remember that every vaccine on the market right now prevents severe disease and death in most cases," said Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah in a prepared statement urging people to not be afraid of getting vaccinated.
Breakthrough coronavirus cases have been identified in 18 of Washington's 39 counties.
Listen to this Special Report episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he informs the listeners of his program how to save the lives of friends and family members who are planning to take the COVID-19 vaccine or have already taken it.
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases popping up all over the country
Washington is not the only state that has recorded large numbers of breakthrough coronavirus cases. At least seven other states have released information regarding fully vaccinated individuals contracting – and sometimes dying from – the virus.
The Metropolitan Health District of San Antonio, Texas has confirmed at least two breakthrough cases of COVID-19 within its jurisdiction. In Minnesota, 89 breakthrough infections have been identified.
Ninety-seven Idahoans have also tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after receiving the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Utah has also recorded 97 breakthrough cases, and South Carolina has reported 141 breakthrough cases.
In Michigan, nearly 250 fully vaccinated people got COVID-19 between January and March. The state health department's data regarding these cases is incomplete, but at least 11 of the breakthrough cases resulted in hospitalizations and three people died.
Illinois has reported roughly 400 breakthrough cases. The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced that at least six fully vaccinated individuals died from COVID-19-related complications.
In every instance when state health officials talk about the discovery of breakthrough coronavirus cases, they have attempted to downplay the announcement by saying that it is a very rare possibility and most of the breakthrough cases supposedly experienced milder forms of the disease.
"I hope that people understand that the risk of getting COVID and dying from COVID is significantly greater, at this point, than getting vaccinated," claimed Dr. Sharon Welbel, the top epidemiologist for Cook County, Illinois.
"Yes, [breakthrough cases] get COVID, but people in general do overall better," said Dr. Andrew Olson, a medical director from Minnesota. "We have seen that both in patients in our system who are hospitalized and patients who are not hospitalized.
"No vaccine is 100 percent effective," said Kathryn Turner, Idaho's Deputy State Epidemiologist. Turner also claimed most of the breakthrough cases were asymptomatic.
Dr. Angela Dunn, the state epidemiologist for Utah, even attempted to tout the discovery of breakthrough cases in her state as an achievement that "speaks to the great effectiveness of the vaccines we have," since her data shows so few fully vaccinated Utahns are getting infected with COVID-19. Dunn, like Turner, also claimed that all of the breakthrough cases were asymptomatic.
Some states hiding breakthrough coronavirus case numbers
In other states, the public is not entirely aware of how many breakthrough COVID-19 cases there are. This is the case in Oregon, where state lawmakers are trying to pass legislation to force the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to reveal certain information regarding the breakthrough cases in the state.
To this effect, these state lawmakers have submitted Senate Bill 719 to the Oregon Senate. SB 719 would require OHA to release all information from ongoing disease investigations unless the information would lead to the individuals being identified by the public.
SB 719 is co-sponsored by State Sen. Michael Dembrow and State Rep. Karin Power, both Democrats.
OHA has refused to publish information regarding breakthrough coronavirus cases due to "privacy issues." As a response to SB 719, OHA has relented slightly and said it is working to compile the data and release it soon.
"This pandemic has really revealed the public's hunger for information about the disease, how it's spreading, where the danger is," said Dembrow. "We need to know how to act, how to make rational decisions about their safety and their family's safety."
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