A San Diego County health care worker who was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 contracted the disease, the first known case of its kind in the region. But public health officials do not want the matter to be of concern.
Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director for epidemiology and vaccination in San Diego County, said the case has been identified over the past few days. The health worker, who was not further identified, was exposed and showed symptoms. A test then confirms the positive result.
McDonald emphasizes that – with vaccines that are approximately 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection – there is a possibility that a small group of individuals will contract the virus after taking both doses of the vaccine.
‘We do expect more [cases], “McDonald said in Wednesday’s weekly information session on COVID-19 disease in San Diego County.” We expect the number to be low and we expect most cases to be like those just reported. ”
NBC 7’s Steven Luke shares the morning of February 18, 2021 in San Diego County.
The highest level of COVID-19 protection comes about two weeks after someone receives their second dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is unclear how long after receiving their second dose the health worker in San Diego became infected.
Although some may get COVID-19 after vaccination, people should not be deterred from getting the vaccine. The CDC adds that even if a person who is fully vaccinated contracts COVID-19, the vaccine can help them become seriously ill. Evidence also shows that there are fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations among vaccinated.
In the case of San Diego’s first vaccinated positive, the health worker showed ‘minimal symptoms’, according to McDonald.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective and the Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective in preventing COVID-19 diseases. But a new factor still being studied is the introduction of mutated strains of COVID-19 disease.
There are at least three varieties of varieties distributed throughout the United States, and California has reported cases involving two of these strains. The majority of the mutated cases in California were located in San Diego County, which may be due to the region’s emphasis on genome sequencing at the local level.
With the spread of new COVID-19 variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil, doctors are rushing to vaccinate as many Americans as possible before more mutations occur. Dr Natasha Bhuyan, a regional director of One Medical, joined LX News to discuss why vaccines are so important now and how she encourages her patients to overcome their skepticism about it.
The variants appear to spread more easily and faster than the original COVID-19 strain. While the CDC believes that the vaccine will also prevent infection by these strains, more research is needed.
Scientists from San Diego are helping with this research, especially if there are cases among vaccinated people, such as San Diego’s health worker.
“We look at the cases by analyzing them through an entire genome sequence to see what they have to do with the vaccines,” McDonald said.
Vaccination against coronavirus has been shown to be safe, but some of the temporary side effects can feel quite uncomfortable – especially if you are taking the second dose. Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief patient safety officer at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, described his own experience with ‘extreme’ fever and chills after his second shot, so you know what to expect.
However, it is important to note that the vaccine will not give anyone COVID-19. People have reported some side effects – such as fever, chills, fatigue and headaches – after getting the shot, but the symptoms are normal signs that the body is building up immunity to COVID-19, the CDC said.
Even with the vaccine, there is a possibility that humans could be ‘spreaders’ if they were exposed to the virus. Those persons may not show any symptoms. The CDC says that people should still wear social distance, wear their masks, continue to wash their hands and avoid gatherings.
To date, approximately 5% of the San Diego population has been completely vaccinated against COVID-19. About 17% of the population had at least their first shot. But with issues regarding the availability of appointments, the process of increasing the latter statistic is slowing down.