Covid US: At least three fully-vaccinated Hawaiians caught infection

At least three Hawaii residents have been infected with COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated against the disease. 

Vaccine trials showed that the three vaccines approved in the US prevent between 66 and 95 percent of symptomatic infections, but we still do not know how well the vaccines prevent people from catching or spreading coronavirus. 

So it’s little surprise that some people would test positive even after getting vaccinated. But none of the people who tested positive became very ill, demonstrating that shots work well to undercut the disease caused by coronavirus. 

One of the three people traveled to the mainland after getting both shots of a two-dose vaccine, made either by Pfizer or Moderna. 

It’s unclear which vaccine the other two people received. All three vaccines authorized in the US are available in Hawaii, although the vast majority of the supply sent to Hawaii and the US broadly speaking has been from either Pfizer or Moderna. 

Only a few doses sent to Hawaii came from Johnson & Johnson and the first of those single-dose shots only arrived there on March 5 – after at least two of the breakthrough cases were identified. 

They are the latest examples of ‘breakthrough infections,’ and doctors say that they are neither common nor surprising.  

None of the three people who developed breakthrough infections have become severely ill and, as far as local officials are aware, none of them have spread the virus to anyone else, the state health department told KITV4. 

Just five people are currently being treated for COVID-19 in ICUs in the whole state of Hawaii. 

That’s down from the September peak of 56, doctors told KITV4. 

Notably, one of the breakthrough cases is an Oahu health care worker who had traveled to not one, but several US cities after getting vaccinated.

That person received two doses of vaccine – meaning they got either the Moderna or the Pfizer shot – and completed their regimen in January. 

The health care worker and a travel companion were tested for coronavirus before leaving Hawaii for a trip to the mainland US, but their results did not come back until they had returned to Oahu. 

Both people were positive for COVID-19, but contact tracing has not identified any additional infections among close contacts of the two travelers. 

It’s an issue that was raised at Monday’s White House Covid response team briefing. 

Asked if fully vaccinated people can begin traveling, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky was resolute in her answer: no. 

‘Related to Spring Break, they are not the demographic we’ve been focusing in on with regard to travel,’ she said. 

But even if people who are vaccinated travel, they ‘go out and they mix with people who are not vaccinated…we’re so close to vaccinating so many other people, so I would just encourage and remind people that now is not the time to travel.’ 

Scientists believe that the more someone is exposed to coronavirus, the more likely to contract and become ill from the infection they are. 

This likely remains true for people who are vaccinated. Antibodies triggered by vaccines – which are between 66 and 95 percent effective – are excellent at ‘neutralizing’ the virus, but they might be more apt to fail if they’re confronted with  onslaught after onslaught of infectious particles. 

Plus, risk of infection despite vaccination has risen slightly, with variants circulating, including the South African, Brazilian, Californian and New York City variants, all of which have shown some ability to evade antibodies. 

It is not clear whether any of the three breakthrough infections were caused by variants or whether the patients’ samples are being tested for variants. 

The state’s department of health did not immediately respond to request for comment. 

But an official from one of the state’s hospitals warned against travel. 

‘Absolutely you need to be careful during those times when you’re in the airport, on the airplane, with other people in larger groups,’ Dr Melinda Ashton, Chief Quality Officer with Hawaii Pacific Health told KITV4. 

So far, breakthrough infections have been quite rare. 

The CDC says it is investigating all reports of breakthrough cases but does not yet publicly share national rates. 

Scientists with the national agency will collect data on these infections in part to learn how common they are, which is difficult to establish because it’s likely many if not most of these will be asymptomatic.