246 Fully Vaccinated People in Michigan Test Positive for COVID-19; 3 Dead

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Pins for Beaumont Health Care workers after receiving their first dose
of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen next to a syringe
at their service center in Southfield, Mich., on Dec. 15, 2020.
(Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)





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246 Fully Vaccinated People in Michigan
Test Positive for COVID-19; 3 Dead
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BY ZACHARY STIEBER
April 7, 2021
Updated: April 7, 2021



Michigan data shows 246 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks
after being fully vaccinated against the virus that causes it.

The potential breakthrough cases were recorded between Jan. 1 and March 31.

Eleven of the residents were hospitalized and three died, a spokesperson with the state
Department of Health and Human Services (MDDHS) told The Epoch Times via email.
The people who died were all 65 years of age or older.

Data about hospitalization status for 129 cases was incomplete and for the other set,
hospitalization status was reported as unknown.

The fully vaccinated cases were identified through weekly reviews of data on all confirmed
and probable cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
State officials compare the data to records of every person who has been fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated means two weeks has elapsed since a person has received two doses of the
Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“These are individuals who have had a positive test 14 or more days after the last dose in the
vaccine series. Some of these individuals may ultimately be excluded from this list due to
continuing to test positive from a recent infection prior to being fully vaccinated. These cases
are undergoing further review to determine if they meet other CDC criteria for determination
of potential breakthrough, including the absence of a positive antigen or PCR test less than
45 days prior to the post-vaccination positive test,” the spokeswoman said.

“In general, these persons have been more likely to be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic
compared with vaccinated persons. Please note, to date, more than 1.7 million Michiganders
have completed their COVID-19 vaccine. Some of these cases may be ruled out via additional
investigation,” she added.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer’s vaccine is considered 95 percent
effective in preventing severe symptoms of COVID-19. Moderna’s is 94 percent.

Johnson & Johnson’s is approximately 67 percent.




Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19
vaccine at Ford Field during an event to promote and encourage
Michigan residents to get the vaccine, in Detroit, Mich., on April 6, 2021.
(Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)



“While the majority of the population develops full immunity within 14 days of completion
of their vaccine series, a small proportion appear to take longer to mount a full antibody
response,” the MDHHS spokeswoman said. “We expect to see breakthrough cases with any
vaccination, including all the COVID-19 vaccines. The number of potential cases identified to
date is not in excess of what might be expected with vaccines with 95 percent efficacy.
Studies indicate that even if vaccinated people do become ill, they are far less likely to
experience severe illness requiring hospitalization or resulting in death.”

The potential for breakthrough cases is why officials still encourage Michiganders to take
precautions while out in public, such as wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing
even after they are fully vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is creating a new website to provide
additional information about investigating breakthrough cases. The site is expected to launch
within the next several weeks. It will include summary data from all states, Michigan officials said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told reporters last week that “zero percent of the people
in our hospitals right now have been vaccinated, which tells you the vaccines work.”

Whitmer said during a press conference on Tuesday that the efficacy rates mean some people
who get the vaccines will not gain complete protection.

“We’re delving into the numbers” on breakthrough cases, she said. “What we do know, though,
is that this vaccine can save your life. This is a virus that none of us knows how our body is going
to react to it. For so many it has been fatal or devastating, or for many we’re still learning how
long are the impacts of this virus going to impact them, afflict them. So this vaccine still is the
best way to protect yourself.”

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, said that the shots “are some of the
best vaccines that we have.”

“We’ve now got vaccines that are over 95 percent effective. And even if you do get COVID-19,
and once you’ve had a vaccine, it is highly unlikely that you will be hospitalized or die,” she said.

Other states have also seen breakthrough cases. In Washington state, authorities reported
last week that they found evidence of 102 such cases, with eight of the patients requiring
hospitalization and two dying.

In a letter published on March 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of California
physicians reported that out of 36,659 health care workers tested after receiving one or two
doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, 379 tested positive for COVID-19 at least one day after vaccination.
Thirty-seven of them tested positive after getting two shots, mostly within two weeks after
the second injection.

“The rarity of positive test results 14 days after administration of the second dose of vaccine
is encouraging and suggests that the efficacy of these vaccines is maintained outside the
trial setting,” the doctors wrote.