Health & Fitness

How Effective Is The Coronavirus Vaccine In NJ? New Data Released

New info about NJ "vaccine breakthrough cases" — fully-vaccinated people who still get infected with the COVID-19 virus — has come to light.

So-called "vaccine breakthrough cases" occur when a person who has completed their vaccine series becomes infected with the COVID-19 virus.
So-called "vaccine breakthrough cases" occur when a person who has completed their vaccine series becomes infected with the COVID-19 virus. (Shutterstock)

NEW JERSEY — The state Department of Public Health released data Wednesday that indicate cases of the coronavirus in fully vaccinated residents are much more rare than expected.

About 0.06 percent of New Jersey's fully vaccinated persons have contracted the virus, New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during a news conference on Wednesday.

There have been 1,319 so-called "breakthrough" cases of COVID-19 since vaccinations began in New Jersey in December, Persichilli said. Those who do experience breakthrough cases also report less severe symptoms, Persichilli said.

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According to New Jersey Health Director Ed Lifshitz, 505 patients showed symptoms, while 377 didn't have symptoms. There was no information available on the other 437 cases.

So-called "vaccine breakthrough cases" occur when a person who has completed their vaccine series becomes infected with the COVID-19 virus.

Find out what's happening in Cinnaminsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Only 92 people who reported breakthrough cases were hospitalized, and 30 of those cases were linked to COVID-19, according to Persichilli. The other 62 people may have come in for another reason, such as an injury, heart attack or other illness, and had a routine COVID test come back positive, Lifshitz said.

There were 14 deaths among those who were hospitalized, seven of which were linked to COVID-19. During the same time, there were 3,500 deaths throughout the state overall that were related to COVID-19, Lifshitz said.

Officials didn't say which vaccine those who died had received, citing the small sample size and the different lengths of time each vaccine had been on the market.

"All vaccines are great at preventing hospitalization and death," Lifshitz said.

As of Wednesday, 4,430,716 New Jersey residents have been fully vaccinated, and 72 percent of residents ages 12 and up have had at least one shot, according to the Department of Health.

"While breakthrough cases were seen in all eligible age groups, hospitalizations and deaths were seen only in those over the age of 50, with the risk increasing with increased age," Lifshitz said. "Those over the age of 80 accounted for almost half of all hospitalizations and half of deaths related to COVID-19."

Two-thirds of the cases were among women, which Lifshitz said may be because more women than men were vaccinated early on.

There were also 138 cases of COVID-19 among the roughly 26,000 healthcare workers in New Jersey who are fully vaccinated, according to a separate report from the Hackensack Meridian Health Network. None of those cases were serious, Persichilli said.

"Both our data and this study demonstrate overwhelmingly that the vaccines work," Persichilli said.

Lifshitz acknowledged that the data isn't 100 percent accurate because those who don't show symptoms, and even those who only show mild symptoms, aren't getting tested for the coronavirus.

"Still, what we found is reassuring," Lifshitz said. "In this time period, the risk of a fully-vaccinated individual testing positive was 602 per million; 42 per million would be hospitalized. Six per million would end up dying from any cause.

"To put that number in perspective, in their lifetime, about 885 people per million will drown, 695 per million will choke to death, and seven per million will be killed by lightning. The risk from dying of COVID is extremely small."



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