Breakthrough Infections Among the Vaccinated Continue, But Does it Really Matter?

November 17, 2021 - On Monday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health allowed the public one of its sporadic looks at the data regarding Covid-19 infections and deaths among the fully vaccinated. This extremely relevant data is not on the health department's otherwise transparent and extensive Covid data dashboard. The last time such data was released was 10 days ago.

As of November 15, 2021, the statistics from the LA County Department of Public Health show:

Total population of LA County: 10,014,009

Total number fully vaccinated: 6,419,840

Total Covid infections: 1,512,147

Fully vaccinated Covid infections: 72,163

Total Covid deaths: 26,872

Fully vaccinated Covid deaths: 396

The latest numbers show a marked decrease in the percent of new cases among the fully vaccinated. During the past ten days 27.6% of the new Covid cases were among the vaccinated. During the previous ten-day period, 38% of new cases were among the vaccinated. It is unlikely the decrease is due to booster shots, which have not been given widely enough or recently enough to have taken any perceptible effect. Should the county release new numbers in another ten days, it may become more apparent as to whether this is a trend that will continue or whether the present decrease in the percent of infections among the vaccinated is instead a random blip. The average percent of total infections occurring among the vaccinated is 33.7%

The rates of vaccinated people catching Covid-19 remained steady between the two ten-day periods, at 1.1%. The rate of death, once infected, for a vaccinated individual also remained steady at 0.55%. These two rates had been rising slightly prior to the most recent statistics revealed.

The rate of death during the latest 10-day period for unvaccinated individuals, once infected, was 1.54%.

For perspective, the case death rate for the seasonal flu is regarded at 0.1%.

Out of a total of 153 Covid deaths during this ten-day period, 136 deaths were among the unvaccinated and 17 were among the vaccinated. During this period there were 12,236 new Covid cases.

Those are the facts.

Here is the attitude.

The numbers given by the county health department seem to indicate that vaccines are somewhat effective in preventing infection, though far less than as advertised. Since the county did not release vaccinated infection numbers prior to October, there is no way to know if the vaccines never were all that effective to begin with or if their potency is waning over time. Vaccines do appear to give an additional boost to prevent death once infected.

The vast majority of Covid-19 cases do not end in death, however, whether an individual is vaccinated or not. In this county, the unvaccinated case death rate stands at 1.84%. In other words, 98.16% of even unvaccinated people have survived Covid-19. A fear factor comes in because more people die from Covid-19 than we are used to seeing from an infectious disease in the developed world. Media outlets who are paid by how many eyeballs land on their TV shows and websites, gin up the fear in order to make more money. Public officials then either take advantage of the fear to garner more power or feel they have to shift the blame (onto those who don't wear masks, who gather with others, who don't get vaccinated) in order to keep their cushy jobs.

Far more people die of noninfectious diseases like cancer or heart disease than from Covid-19. The case death rates for these diseases are also much higher. For example, compare the death rate, once diagnosed, of a woman with breast cancer. This is 15.4% - ten times higher than the chance of dying from Covid, even if unvaccinated. Yet neither society nor individuals take the available and guaranteed precautions that would completely prevent such deaths.

Attempting to halt a highly infectious disease that has spread worldwide is a losing proposition. Even if the vaccines were effective in halting infection, which they clearly are not, it would be impossible to completely extinguish Covid. There will always be a case - and it is even fairly likely that case will be in a vaccinated individual. And if there is even one case, there will be more. Pushing booster shot after booster shot with little real investigation into the long-term effects of these new and powerful drugs could cause significant, widespread harm. Furthermore, enough evidence has already been gathered to indicate such measures have diminishing effects.

If people want vaccines, or even booster shots, to feel marginally safer from dying of Covid, they should be available to them. But it makes no sense to force these relatively ineffective and largely unknown drugs onto the public at large.