How the breakthrough Covid-19 feels to vaccinated people

Michael Miranda was completely vaccinated for more than four months when she tested positive for the coronavirus. “I stared at my phone for a while, wondering if this was a death sentence,” said Miranda, who works as a parole in Hawaii. After returning home from a trip to the west coast, Miranda experienced chills, sneezing, and a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. “I immediately started blaming all the unmasked people,” he said.

New York City writer Danielle Selby tackled similar feelings when she began to experience fatigue, significant congestion, headaches, and loss of smell and taste. “I was pretty shocked to find out that I was positive on the test,” she said. “I’m completely vaccinated and I keep wearing my mask … it’s pretty annoying to still get Covid-19 and feel sick to do so.”

The story of people vaccinated with an increasing number of “breakthrough” cases of Covid-19 Make news, Affect policy, And spread on social media, sharing some common threads. Twelve vaccinated people told Vox that a positive test caused shock, anger, fear, and even shame. Many said they were aware that they were at the center of a heated debate about the future of vaccines, masks, and pandemics.

“There are definitely people who have tried to use it. [my] The experience of discounting the effectiveness of vaccines and pushing for unfounded treatments on social media. ” .. Gonzales said he addressed “many guilty feelings” that he may have exposed “high-risk” families and unvaccinated children to the virus.

“Patients are definitely focused on letting us know that they’ve done everything right’before they get sick,” said David, a neuroscientist and rehabilitation expert at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Putrino says. Equipped with the epoch-making Covid-19. “Unfortunately, I think there is an element of shame. [or] Guilt associated with getting Covid at this stage. ”

People with breakthrough infections are not the first Covid-19 patients to politicize the story, nor are they the first to feel. Sense of guilt also shame After a positive test. However, their experience highlights some of the permanent fault lines in American attitudes towards the current coronavirus. These incidents are yet another example of the emotional sacrifice of a pandemic and are frustrating to remind us that the crisis is not over for everyone.

Patient experience also shows that breakthrough infections are very unlikely to create a new wave of infection or overwhelm the healthcare system, but can have significant implications for individuals, families and communities. It has been.

There’s more to learn about the groundbreaking Covid-19

A breakthrough infection is a positive test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in people who have been completely vaccinated with Covid-19. Serious breakthrough cases are rare. More than 166 million people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the CDC records 7,525 groundbreaking cases It led to hospitalization or death.

“The incidence is relatively low,” said infectious disease epidemiologist Jessica Marati Rivera. “But what we know as breakthrough data is absolutely underestimated.” The CDC is on its website because reports from healthcare providers are voluntary and not comprehensive. I say the same.

Julia Lifeman, an assistant professor of health policy at Boston University, said: The CDC does not currently count mild breakthrough cases of Covid-19. Raifman also suggested that the lack of this data could contribute to the general confusion about the level of risk faced by vaccinated individuals.

As Catherine J. Wu has Written in the atlanticThe ability to develop Covid-19 does not distinguish between vaccinated and non-vaccinated. “The choice is not about vaccination or infection,” Wu wrote. “It’s about strengthening your defenses so that you’re ready to fight the infection from the best possible position.” If public health guidance suggests something else, it creates false expectations and vaccination. You may run the risk of stigmatizing your experience of positive testing during.

“We need to know that vaccinated people are less likely to get infected than unvaccinated people,” Lifeman said. “But … if there is an uncontrolled infection with Covid, as we are currently facing, it is not uncommon.”

The patient’s story is politicized

The groundbreaking Covid-19 story is not representative of the majority of Covid-19 cases, but can be amplified because it is considered surprising. Against the vaccine. Tweets from people with breakthrough infectious diseases have received thousands of likes and retweets, and their reactions range from supportive to skeptical. It can be overwhelming for patients who did not anticipate a violent repulsion.

“I couldn’t believe how my post exploded,” said Melinda Pearl, a professor of biology in Florida. Tweet about her case Encouraged more than 1000 comments. “I tried to block trolls and people using my post as an argument against vaccination, but after a while I gave up. I was ill and had a hard time dealing with the reaction.”

Who has When you are vaccinated, you will have different reactions. “It seems that some vaccinated people are talking about reacting with very high anxiety and fear and completely blocking,” said Mike, a Los Angeles-based writer and media founder.・ McHague states. Tweet About his groundbreaking Covid-19 case in early July. “Other vaccinated people say my case is a fluke and does not tolerate masks, distances, or other mitigations.”

Miranda said one told him that his illness was the result of “enjoying our freedom and risking it.” He felt the comment was political and refused to reply. “I strongly believe that public health issues should never be politicized,” he said.

There is still a gap between expectations and experience

Breakthrough infectious diseases include a variety of experiences. Some are asymptomatic, like Vox’s Dylan Scott Reported.. In most cases, you will not be hospitalized. Cases that are not hospitalized may be considered either mild or moderate, depending on the patient’s symptoms. According to the National Institute of Health..

However, cases defined as mild may not be mild to the patient, especially for vaccinated people who may be completely surprised by the onset of Covid-19. “Medically, I had a” mild “case, but nothing felt calm about it,” McHargue said. A month after the onset of symptoms, he is still experiencing fatigue and tinnitus.Recently Study in Israel We found that some healthcare professionals vaccinated against breakthrough infections developed symptoms that lasted more than 6 weeks.

“Even if a symptomatic person is not hospitalized [they] “We are still experiencing” long-distance transport “symptomatology and may be affected in the long run,” Mount Sinai Queens emergency physician Eric Brutinger told Vox. He said it was important to analyze all groundbreaking cases, regardless of their severity, at least until scientists learned more.

Both Gonzales and his mother are working on protracted symptoms such as fatigue, body aches and coughs. As a result, Gonzales had to delay his start date with his new job.Like Other Covid-19 patients with persistent symptoms, He and McHague said their illness had impaired their ability to work.

“Covid-19 robbed me of 10 days of my life — a 10-day experience that I will never return to,” Miranda said. “But most importantly, I missed the moment to say goodbye before my uncle died.” Miranda was infected with Covid-19 and went to the hospital where her uncle was being treated for heart disease. I couldn’t. Other patients said it was difficult to isolate from unvaccinated children in their homes.

Recommendations for vaccinated people may continue to evolve as scientists and policy makers learn more about breakthrough infectious diseases. Epidemiologist Rivera reiterated the CDC guidance that most vaccinated people can avoid regular tests if they are not exposed to the virus. She and Lifeman at Boston University agreed with the CDC, saying that people vaccinated in the United States should wear masks indoors.

However, Rivera has expressed uncertainty about the current exposure recommendations for the CDC. Vaccinated people who come into contact with people who have Covid-19 do not need to be quarantined if they are asymptomatic. She said this was definitely too loose. “I don’t think it makes sense for people who have been confirmed to be exposed to not staying at home preemptively.”

People with breakthrough infections continue to appreciate the vaccine

SARS-CoV-2 is still a new virus, so sometimes infected people Report first New experiences, and being the first, can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and shame. Patients with Covid-19 appear to be particularly likely to encounter surprises and distrust when their experience is understood to be new or unusual.

When Selby first became symptomatological, she underwent a rapid test, which returned negative. As her illness persisted, she sought advice from family, friends, and health care workers. “Everyone responded the same.” I’m sure you’re fine. I’m vaccinated, “Selby said. “The doctor’s assistant seemed to suggest that I was overreacting and seeking another test.”

Even she was surprised when Selby tested again and the result was positive. “I was convinced that I was overreacting.”

Four of the groundbreaking incidents spoken to Vox said they had a surprising response from healthcare professionals, and some spoke of conflicting advice. “The clinic staff seemed to be surprised by us, the people who were vaccinated with the RNA vaccine at Covid,” McHargue said. Gonzales said he sought treatment for his symptoms in the emergency room. He was vaccinated there and was told he didn’t need to be tested. He later contacted his state health department and told him that he disagreed and needed to be added to the contact tracing database.

Paul Hennessy / Light Rocket / Getty Images

Selby has used social media to spread awareness about her experience since confirming her breakthrough infection. She believes that the message that the breakthrough was “very rare” contributed to the suspicion and distrust she encountered from others.

In the process of sharing her story, Selby learned of other groundbreaking cases in her broader network, and that knowledge confirmed her own experience. “Obviously, I’m angry to hear that others are ill,” Selby explained. “But it was a twisted way and I was relieved … I felt my worries were justified.”

Selby was pleased that she had been vaccinated and the doctor who treated her breakthrough case thanked her for doing so. Others with breakthrough infections have repeated this feeling.

“Without the vaccine, I think I might be using a ventilator now,” McHargue said. From the moment he tested positive, he was convinced that he and his family were okay, thanks to his vaccination status.

Gonzales was grateful as well. “Vaccination saved not only my life, but my family’s life,” he said. “It was difficult enough to see what I experienced and what my family experienced. I don’t want to imagine what would happen if I hadn’t been vaccinated.”