In Allegheny County, 420 'breakthrough' covid cases out of more than 600K fully vaccinated residents

There have been 420 so-called “breakthrough” cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County, officials reported Wednesday, out of more than 600,000 fully vaccinated residents — which is less than one-tenth of 1%.

Cases are considered to be a breakthrough case if they occur in someone who is fully vaccinated.

Only 11 of those 420 required hospitalization, said county health director Dr. Debra Bogen.

She said that from March through May, the county recorded 239 covid-related deaths, and 212 — 89% — were people who were unvaccinated.

Twenty-two people who died during that time were partially vaccinated, she said, and five people – 2% — were fully vaccinated.

“Those are remarkable numbers,” Bogen said, noting that more than 1.3 million doses of the vaccines have been given across the county. “They demonstrate how effective the vaccines really are.”

About 76% of adults in the county are at least partially vaccinated, Bogen said, including 55% who are fully vaccinated. About half of the county’s 15-19 population is at least partially vaccinated.

“Vaccines are really helping use to return to the world we once knew — a world before disruptions, shutdowns and mandates,” she said. “People are venturing outside again. They’re filling restaurants and enjoying arts festivals and the parks. They’re going to ball games and concerts, and they’re really rediscovering their sense of comfort.”

Bogen spoke of her own experience being thrust out her comfort zone, leaving a job in academia to head the county health department — a position she had to start two months early as covid took hold in the U.S.

There was a point to her reminiscing, she said: “We’re all starting to really regain our lost sense of comfort, and I believe that comfort is sustainable if we all do the right things.”

She urged residents to get vaccinated, though she acknowledged that “if you’re paying attention to me, chances are you’re already vaccinated.”

If everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated, she said, “we have a real shot at keeping covid-19 at bay when the cooler weather returns in the fall.”