From Monday, everyone aged 16 and over will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine
From Monday, everyone aged 16 and over will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine
DETROIT (FOX 2) – Nearly 250 people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 tested positive for the virus, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.
According to MDHHS, 246 people had a positive test 14 or more days after receiving their second dose by the end of March. The people who tested positive were asymptomatic or had milder symptoms compared to people who were not vaccinated.
To date, more than 1.7 million Michigan residents have received complete doses of the vaccine.
Related: Every adult in Michigan can now get a COVID-19 vaccine – here’s how to get yours
Of the positive cases, 129 did not enter any information about hospitalizations, while 117 did have the information. Eleven were admitted to hospital, 103 not, and three were marked as unknown.
These figures contradict a statement made by the government, Gretchen Whitmer, last week.
“Zero percent of the people in our hospitals are currently vaccinated, which says the vaccines work,” she said.
In addition, according to MDHHS, three people older than 65 died. Two of the deaths were within three weeks of completion of the vaccination.
Officials said the majority of the population develops full immunity within 14 days of completing their vaccine range, but a small proportion appear to take longer to get a complete antibody response.
More: ‘Neighborhood Vaccine Week’: Detroit adds 8 COVID-19 vaccine sites
The CDC is working to understand the risk characteristics of this group, MDHHS said.
The health department reiterated that the percentage of vaccinated people who were symptomatic, hospitalized or died was lower than those who were not vaccinated.
Health officials also said some of the people who tested positive for COVID after being vaccinated may have continued to test positive for a recent infection before being fully vaccinated.
The cases are reviewed to determine if they meet other CDC criteria for determining possible breakthrough, including the absence of a positive antigen or PCR test less than 45 days before the positive test after vaccination.