Oregon health officials are investigating four cases where people contracted the coronavirus after receiving both doses of the vaccine.
The symptoms of the four individuals range from asymptomatic to mild, Oregon’s health authority said in a release Friday.
“We are working with our local and federal public health partners to investigate and determine the origin of the case. Genome sequencing is underway, and we expect results next week.” said the agency.
These individuals were referred to as ‘breakthrough cases’ because they became ill with the new virus at least 14 days after receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
The Health Authority said such cases were not “unexpected” during the pandemic. “Clinical trials of both vaccines currently in use included breakthrough cases. In those cases, although participants received Covid-19, the vaccines reduced the severity of the disease,” the agency said.
Two of the cases were discovered in Yamhill County, and two others were in Lane County. Local health officials now wanted to determine the origin of these cases to provide the public with more information.
The announcement in Oregon comes as a result of a breakthrough in North Carolina, according to NBC affiliate WCNC-TV in Charlotte.
State health officials told the point of sale that the person was experiencing mild symptoms and had not been hospitalized since Covid-19.
Pfizer and Moderna are the only two companies to have received emergency use authorization for their Covid-19 dual-dose vaccines from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Studies show that they are about 94 percent effective against Covid-19, and it reduces the severe symptoms one may experience after contracting the new virus.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines to state that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to be quarantined if they are exposed to someone with Covid-19. People are usually asked to isolate themselves for one to two weeks if they are exposed.
But those who have been fully vaccinated, which means that it is two weeks since they received the second dose of the vaccine, no longer need to be in quarantine as long as they have not developed symptoms.
People who are vaccinated are still asked to follow other safety precautions for coronavirus, such as wearing masks, doing social distances and avoiding large crowds.