The Breakthrough infection thread

[Ginevra]

I think we should keep this to direct experiences - child, parent, spouse type data, not neighbor’s aunt’s cousin type and not FB posts. 
 

Mine is my ds 22, fully vaxed in spring this year. I forget if he was Moderna or Pfizer but I think Moderna. 
 

Reports symptoms at about a 3, if 1 is don’t even know if it’s Covid and 10 is hospitalized. 

[SKL]

1 first degree relative who was vaxed and working on a Covid ward.  Got sick about a week and a half ago.  Felt pretty sick, but so far not hospitalized.  Had nobody to help because partner, also a HCW on a Covid ward, also got Covid and was hospitalized for several days.

Thankfully this individual stopped going around any at-risk relatives upon taking the assignment on the Covid ward.

But the individual has several risk factors, as do many healthcare workers.

Edited November 30, 2021 by SKL

[Laura Corin]

Brother, aged 63, slim and fit with atypical heart disease.  Two AZ jabs. Knocked out by Covid but not hospitalised.  Just walked his first mile, 4 weeks on.

SIL, aged 63, fairly fit but a bit overweight. Two AZ jabs. Felt bad with flu-like symptoms, not hospitalised. Was back at work after ten days.

[Garga]

My DS16.  Fully vaxed.  First shot in April. Second shot in May. Both Pfizer.

Got sick the week of August 16th.  

He thought he had allergies, because he was working outside a lot on a car with DH.  He took a few allergy pills that week. 

On Monday 8/23/21, he told me, “It feels a little difficult to breathe. Can I take one of our covid tests?” We had bought a few over-the-counter covid tests. I didn’t really think it was covid, but I indulged him.

The tests work a lot like a pregnancy test. The test barely started when the second (positive) line showed up. I told him, “Son, you’re pregnant.”

We called his doc to see what they thought we should do. They said, “Go to UC so they can listen to his lungs.” While in UC, they listened and said they sounded fine, and did another covid test, which also was positive.

Son stayed up in his room (his room is the only bedroom on the second floor of our cape cod) for 10 days bored out of his mind. He felt mostly fine, even asking if he could go out and ride his bike. He didn’t have trouble breathing other than it felt a little more difficult to pull in air than normal. His sense of taste got a little wonky for 2 days.

 

He had been around other vaccinated people before we knew he was sick, when we thought it was allergies. None of them caught covid from him.  None of us in the house (also fully vaccinated) caught it.

 

Or if we all caught it, we were asymptomatic.

 

He isn’t old enough for the booster, but we sort of count his bout with covid as his “booster” for now.  The rest of us got boosted last Wednesday.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Garga

[Katy]

My sibling's nanny, DH's grandmother, and my cousin had breakthrough infections without symptoms, or very mild symptoms they would assume to be normal seasonal allergies.  All found through routine testing either due to work or known exposure.

I also know several people in Florida who've had it 3 times, all stopped getting it when they got vaccinated.

[Loowit]

My BIL got it from an unvaxed coworker.  BIL had the J&J and got it before boosters were available.  He said it was like a bad cold.  He was quarantined in the guest room, and neither my sister or nephew caught it (both vaccinated with J&J).

[Carrie12345]

19yo dd. Moderna vaxxed early on as a first responder. Not boostered. 😠 No other health issues.

She had symptoms for somewhere around 5-7 days, cold-like at first, then worsened to probably a 4or 5 on the scale. Slept a lot, then fully recovered except sense of smell. (Taste is back, as far as taste without smell can be.)

[MercyA]

18yo niece. Fully vaccinated, but not yet eligible for booster (hasn't been six months). Tested weekly at her nursing home job and was positive yesterday. No symptoms except for slight headache earlier in the week. (ETA: Prayers appreciated, as she is diabetic.)

We all had Thanksgiving together Sunday. Thankfully everyone except the little kids were vaxxed. My dad told my 90-year-old grandma she couldn't come because she wasn't vaccinated. Thank you Jesus for the wisdom of my dad. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by MercyA

[Jean in Newcastle]

69 year old brother. Vaxxed but not boosted. Immediately got monoclonal antibodies. Mild symptoms.   Since then he’s gotten his booster. 
 

His son, 40’s Downs Syndrome, heart transplant recipient. Vaxxed but of course still at great risk. He was treated out patient but not hospitalized. 

[MEmama]

My uncle and his partner, early 80’s, northern Germany. Both have recovered but it’s slow going for her (she might not have been vaxxed due to possible complications with other medications, but he definitely was).

DS18, maybe. Waiting on test results. UPDATE: He tested negative for COVID! 

Edited December 4, 2021 by MEmama

[73349]

My understanding is that after 6 months, we should consider our vaccination no longer providing significant protection from contracting Covid, though hopefully still some from serious disease or death. If I caught it today, IDK that I'd consider it a breakthrough infection as my last dose was in April. (I have a booster scheduled.)

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Carolina Wren said:

My understanding is that after 6 months, we should consider our vaccination no longer providing significant protection from contracting Covid, though hopefully still some from serious disease or death. If I caught it today, IDK that I'd consider it a breakthrough infection as my last dose was in April. (I have a booster scheduled.)

I don’t know if that’s quite right, though. (<<<not an epidemiologist; don’t play one on Facebook, either) My understanding is, yeah, you’re waning post six months, but you’re still in a better position than a never-vaxxed person is. 
 

For the past couple months, though, I *personally* (just speaking for myself) have not been that concerned about *getting* Covid at all, because I am confident that my vax status will ward off serious disease or death. And - again, not a statistician, but - I probably have higher odds of recurring breast cancer than I do of getting very sick/dying from Covid, so I don’t dwell on worry over Covid much now, just as I don’t torture myself with my 10% chance of cancer rearing it’s ugly head again. 

[SKL]

41 minutes ago, Carolina Wren said:

My understanding is that after 6 months, we should consider our vaccination no longer providing significant protection from contracting Covid, though hopefully still some from serious disease or death. If I caught it today, IDK that I'd consider it a breakthrough infection as my last dose was in April. (I have a booster scheduled.)

It was less than 6 months for the person in my family.

[kristin0713]

My mom had a breakthrough case in July, 6 months post moderna. I’d say her symptoms were about a 4 out of 10. The rest of us (five others) in our household had Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J and did not catch it that we know of (no symptoms or positive tests.) 

[itsheresomewhere]

Best friend- 8/10 currently miserable.  She is very healthy. She was tripled vaxxed ( Pfizer) and had antibody treatment last week.  Local hospital here told her that they were not surprised as most of the patients they are seeing are Pfizer.  No one else in the family came down with it including her not vax kids.

Good friend-  her DH ( fully vaxxed Pfizer)10/10.  30+ days ICU after 3 weeks of dealing with it at home under doctors care, sent home on oxygen.  Over a month later, still having problems. 

Interesting to me-  those in DH’s office who have had it from a 3-10 on the scale all had Pfizer. The worst in DH’s office was about to leave the hospital when he had a massive stroke.  He wasn’t in the best health before covid ( smoker, diabetic, overweight). 

Edited December 1, 2021 by itsheresomewhere

[NewnameC]

My sister, her husband and her child all had it earlier this month. They all had been fully vaccinated close to 6 months ago. 
 

I guess my BIL would have been a 2, because he had a headache followed by a mild symptom that I can’t remember now. He got tested after that symptom. The other two family members were only tested and had no real symptoms.

A friend, who caught it from the family, did have symptoms that caused them to feel bad for a few days. 

[Storygirl]

DD16 tested positive on November 14. She had her first shot in May and second in June, so she was less than 6 months after vaccination.

She had symptoms for a few days before getting tested; she had just increased dosage on a medication that can come with side effects, so I didn't connect her stomach pains and headache to possible Covid. She got tested, because her job required that she get a doctor's note to call off of work. I was initially irritated that we had to take her to urgent care for what I thought was a medication side effect, but it turns out that it was good that she got tested. And I felt dumb for not suspecting Covid, because every time the kids get a sniffle, I've been suspecting Covid for almost two years now! As far as we know, she didn't infect anyone. We tested everyone else in the house several times, and we all stayed negative.

[kbutton]

Cousins--not sure if their cases were mild; I think one is still not 100%. Their kiddo had it too (too young to have been vaxed at the time), and he caught some other bug very shortly afterward. He's fine now.

A friend had it this summer from his unvaxed wife. Mild case.

Friends: 3 of 6 currently have it in their household. I know one case was not a fun few days, but seems to be on the mend. Not sure how the other two are doing.

[BlsdMama]

Attended funeral two weeks ago - fully vaxed man, two shots, 77. Had been hospitalized four weeks, seemed to be improving at the end. 😞 No names underlying issues but was overweight, not a smoker. 

[Elfknitter.#]

Coworker vaxed with 2 doses of Moderna caught it from their partner  just before the 6 month booster mark (partner wasn't sure if they caught it at work or somewhere else). Described it as a bad cold with lots of fatigue; temporarily lost taste/ smell; was out for full 10 days per work policy. Once the coworker returned, still took about 2-3 days before they felt 100% again.

[JennyD]

My husband's friend, late 20s, caught Covid from a (also fully vaccinated) family member a few weeks ago. He had been vaccinated early -- February, maybe? -- and had not yet gotten a booster.  He had mild cold symptoms for 2-3 days. Neither his fully-vaccinated wife nor their unvaccinated toddler daughter caught it.

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by JennyD

[Not_a_Number]

5 hours ago, Quill said:

I don’t know if that’s quite right, though. (<<<not an epidemiologist; don’t play one on Facebook, either) My understanding is, yeah, you’re waning post six months, but you’re still in a better position than a never-vaxxed person is. 

I think you're very marginally better off on being infected with COVID after 6 months, but you're much better off on your chance of severe outcomes. But yeah, efficacy against infection seems to drop to below 50% after 6 months. 

[Not_a_Number]

One of our babysitters had a mild breakthrough infection -- she's in her late 20s, I think. She had been vaccinated in the winter but didn't have a booster. She felt pretty sick, but it was pretty much like a bad cold... maybe a 3/10? 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Bootsie]

A family member in her early 40s had COVID approximatey 3 months after her second Moderna shot.  She was fairly exhausted and lost her sense of taste and smell; said she felt like she had a bad cold; the worst part lasted for about 3 days and overall lasted about a week.  She has three children who were not old enough for shots at the time.  One came home with COVID, gave it to another child a few days later, and then she got it the next week. The other unvaxed child and her vaxed husband did not get it.

A coworker and her husband had COVID at the same time about 4 months after second Pfizer shot--they are in their 60s.  They do not know the source of their infection.  They said it was like a bad cold or flu and each missed about one week of work.  

[Starr]

We have a friend who had a second kidney transplant, vaccinated, but I don't know about booster that is in the hospital with covid and not doing well.

[Anne]

My dh (Moderna) and I (Pfizer) both had covid eight months post vax.   He got the monoclonal infusion and had a very light case with an easy recovery.  I didn’t get the infusion, and although I had a light case, my recovery was kind of hard (mostly fatigue that took a long time to resolve).  We will get the booster sometime after he’s eligible (no vax for at least 90 days after the infusion).

 

Anne

[Guest]

Reading all these makes me feel like I’m being lied to….

I understand that “breakthroughs do happen” and “no vaccine is 100%” but geez. Remember back in April when I was so happy because I was protected from getting Covid and protected from unwittingly passing it on the Granny (I thought)? 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

Reading all these makes me feel like I’m being lied to….

I understand that “breakthroughs do happen” and “no vaccine is 100%” but geez. Remember back in April when I was so happy because I was protected from getting Covid and protected from unwittingly passing it on the Granny (I thought)? 

That was then. Delta is a beast and changed vaccine efficacy to 'reduced seriousness', rather than avoiding infection altogether. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Laura Corin

[vonfirmath]

3 hours ago, Quill said:

Reading all these makes me feel like I’m being lied to….

I understand that “breakthroughs do happen” and “no vaccine is 100%” but geez. Remember back in April when I was so happy because I was protected from getting Covid and protected from unwittingly passing it on the Granny (I thought)? 

Honestly_-I never thought we'd get a vaccine at all. Making a vaccine for the "Common cold" has always been thought to be impossible. Turns out not impossible -- it just mutates a lot so the vaccine does not last long.

 

[Zinnia2]

We currently have breakthrough cases in our house.  Three of the six of us are sick.  Not great, but we don't feel terrible.

My husband had a breakthrough case in September.  Also mild.  No one else in the household caught it that time.

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by BetsyT

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Honestly_-I never thought we'd get a vaccine at all. Making a vaccine for the "Common cold" has always been thought to be impossible. Turns out not impossible -- it just mutates a lot so the vaccine does not last long.

 

That’s logical. I think with regular old common cold, the benefits did not outweigh the effort because people almost never die from the common cold and the worse complication in most cases is a few bad nights’ sleep and missed work/school, if people even stay home for a cold, which typically they do not.
 

 

[KatieJ]

My brother’s family of 6. 3 of them got it, 3 did not. He did and he was the only one vaxed. 

 

BFF and her hubby, both fully  vaxed. Both got very ill a month ago. He was hospitalized for 3 days, but is recovering. 
 

Son in law of a close friend. He and his wife and one child fully vaxed. He got it, the rest of the family did not.

 

ETA…sister in law, fully vaxed.

 

all of these case have been in the last month.

Edited December 1, 2021 by KatieInMN

[MEmama]

I would really like more data on viral load for those who experience breakthrough cases.

Also, as a direct relationship to viral load I’d like to see more information on how people are behaving once they get vaxxed— are they still masking? Social distancing? Are they eating inside restaurants? Did they give up on the other precautions hoping their vaccination status would be enough, or are they still behaving like it’s March 2020 and taking all the precautions?

Also I’d love data on job situations— do they generally work from home or are they teachers, childcare workers, students (masked or not masked?), in environments that don’t take any or many precautions? And not to be political, but red state or blue state— not how they vote but the precautions that are allowed, disallowed or mandated in their communities by their leaders.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I would really like more data on viral load for those who experience breakthrough cases.

Also, as a direct relationship to viral load I’d like to see more information on how people are behaving once they get vaxxed— are they still masking? Social distancing? Are they eating inside restaurants? Did they give up on the other precautions hoping their vaccination status would be enough, or are they still behaving like it’s March 2020 and taking all the precautions?

Also I’d love data on job situations— do they generally work from home or are they teachers, childcare workers, students (masked or not masked?), in environments that don’t take any or many precautions? And not to be political, but red state or blue state— not how they vote but the precautions that are allowed, disallowed or mandated in their communities by their leaders.

Great idea.  I think it would also be helpful to know what is going on in their state.  Like daily new cases in your state.

 

[Laura Corin]

17 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I would really like more data on viral load for those who experience breakthrough cases.

Also, as a direct relationship to viral load I’d like to see more information on how people are behaving once they get vaxxed— are they still masking? Social distancing? Are they eating inside restaurants? Did they give up on the other precautions hoping their vaccination status would be enough, or are they still behaving like it’s March 2020 and taking all the precautions?

Also I’d love data on job situations— do they generally work from home or are they teachers, childcare workers, students (masked or not masked?), in environments that don’t take any or many precautions? And not to be political, but red state or blue state— not how they vote but the precautions that are allowed, disallowed or mandated in their communities by their leaders.

The only one that I know in detail I mentioned on the board before.  My brother, because of his heart disease, has been extremely careful indoors.  He doesn't work and has not socialised indoors at all.  In the preceding weeks, he went into a shop, masked, for a few minutes.  He played tennis and golf outdoors, not entering the buildings.  Someone must have coughed on him outdoors, I think.  He was around six months post second vaccine - he had his booster booked.  His wife caught it from him.

[SKL]

Is there a reliable side-by-side comparison over time with unvax vs each vax as far as symptomatic / hospitalized cases?

Our state just has a cumulative total for hospitalizations and deaths, which doesn't provide any real info regarding Delta wave days etc.

My personal real-life observations are that about half of my peeps are vaxed, and of those I know who have had Covid and whose vax status I know, half were vaxed and half were unvaxed.  So I'm honestly not seeing a difference in outcomes in my personal experience.  Also, statistically, the more people in our state get vaxed, the more the cases increase.  I'm sure there are other factors, but I could understand people being skeptical.

[Pam in CT]

reposting from your other thread since I'd missed you started this one:

 

My 27 yo eldest, vaccinated w/Pfizer in April, had a breakthrough case in early September.  She had literally NO symptoms and only discovered she was positive because she and her boyfriend PCR-ed as a super-precautionary measure before a planned visit to his 90-something grandmother.  Her boyfriend, vaccinated w/Moderna in April and with whom she lives, tested several times but never got it.  She believes she likely contracted it when she was conducting high holy day services at a prison.

My 25 yo nephew, also vaccinated w/Pfizer in April, had a breakthrough case in late October. He had met up with a bunch of vaccinated college friends for dinner (indoor) at one of their houses.  A few days later he got a call from one of them, who'd had mild symptoms and tested and come up positive. H PCR'ed immediately and came up positive, and a few days later developed mild cold-like symptoms, the kind of aches & tiredness we all used to plow through and keep going to work in the days before COVID.  He works from home, and believes he contracted it from the friend who contacted it.

A good friend of mine here, who vaccinated w/Moderna back in the earliest days it was available here, probably early February, had a breakthrough case over the summer. She regularly does overnight shifts at a local homeless shelter and that is probably where she contracted it.  She had flu-like symptoms that kept here in bed for 3-5 days.  Her husband, also vaccinated probably a bit later (she had very early access because of the work she does) and with whom she lives, never got it.

 

re viral load: All three live in NYC or CT where vax rates are high and masking is pretty good. Daughter and nephew are pretty COVID-cautious, in circles where vax rates are close to 100%, and test regularly.  Friend regularly does shifts at homeless shelters and other places with a lot of contact with populations less likely to be vaccinated.

[MEmama]

9 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

The only one that I know in detail I mentioned on the board before.  My brother, because of his heart disease, has been extremely careful indoors.  He doesn't work and has not socialised indoors at all.  In the preceding weeks, he went into a shop, masked, for a few minutes.  He played tennis and golf outdoors, not entering the buildings.  Someone must have coughed on him outdoors, I think.  He was around six months post second vaccine - he had his booster booked.  His wife caught it from him.

That’s just the worst case scenario for all of us who are super careful but also trying not to just hide away in the basement. 😞 

[Laura Corin]

5 minutes ago, MEmama said:

That’s just the worst case scenario for all of us who are super careful but also trying not to just hide away in the basement. 😞 

I'm afraid so. None of the people he played with were symptomatic.  Case rates here are super high though. 

[Laura Corin]

58 minutes ago, SKL said:

Is there a reliable side-by-side comparison over time with unvax vs each vax as far as symptomatic / hospitalized cases?

Our state just has a cumulative total for hospitalizations and deaths, which doesn't provide any real info regarding Delta wave days etc.

My personal real-life observations are that about half of my peeps are vaxed, and of those I know who have had Covid and whose vax status I know, half were vaxed and half were unvaxed.  So I'm honestly not seeing a difference in outcomes in my personal experience.  Also, statistically, the more people in our state get vaxed, the more the cases increase.  I'm sure there are other factors, but I could understand people being skeptical.

The UK figures show it quite well by comparing second to third wave

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/covid-uk-coronavirus-cases-deaths-and-vaccinations-today?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Below are hospitalisation stats and vaccination by age cohort. Not many people are unvaccinated but they are a large proportion of those in hospital. ETA: in the final chart, the bar label details percentage with only one or no doses.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 hours ago, Quill said:

Reading all these makes me feel like I’m being lied to….

I understand that “breakthroughs do happen” and “no vaccine is 100%” but geez. Remember back in April when I was so happy because I was protected from getting Covid and protected from unwittingly passing it on the Granny (I thought)? 

I don’t think that the hospitals have any reason to lie when they say that the highest percentage of people admitted with Covid  (too lazy to look up the exact percentage) are unvaxxed. And the science of vaccination hasn’t changed even if the variant changes (along with how transmissible it is, how well it matches the vaccine etc). I trust the hospitals and the science much more than random anecdotes- even my own. (Though I am impressed that my highly immunocompromised nephew avoided hospitalization with Covid. I never expected him to be protected 100%)

[Shelydon]

Our family had Covid in early October.  Everyone is our household is vaccinated.  We have Pfizer, Moderna and Novavx (trial) vaccines.  One Novavax and one Pfizer got the illness.  The Pfizer person had achy joints and a runny nose, the Novavax had a fever for 2 days and  runny nose for 5-6 days.  In our family 6 people were living here and no one else got sick.  We did not quarantine the Covid positive people.  I was very pleased with how well the vaccine held up for the 6 who were regularly exposed and did not get sick.   We tested every 2-3 days for 2 weeks, so if someone else was asymptomatic, we would have caught it by testing.   Those that got ill had very mild illnesses. 

[Not_a_Number]

10 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

The only one that I know in detail I mentioned on the board before.  My brother, because of his heart disease, has been extremely careful indoors.  He doesn't work and has not socialised indoors at all.  In the preceding weeks, he went into a shop, masked, for a few minutes.  He played tennis and golf outdoors, not entering the buildings.  Someone must have coughed on him outdoors, I think.  He was around six months post second vaccine - he had his booster booked.  His wife caught it from him.

This is pretty much why we mask outdoors. 

[Tree Frog]

Dh's co worker's son and daughter both are positive. The son lives at home, but isn't often there. He is vaccinated, but seems to have a very light case. Co worker's daughter had a baby 6 weeks ago and has a 2 yo. She isn't vaxed- didn't want to while she was pregnant. I'm hoping it doesn't get bad for her. It's presumed they both got it over Thanksgiving at home.

The co worker has been told to quarantine. He's not allowed to go to work, but has  indicated to dh that he's not staying home. He believes because he was vaxed, all should be good. He doesn't take precautions and won't mask. His reaction is the same as most Texans I've come across.

[Guest]

Just learned of another breakthrough case: my BIL. Feels as though he has a bad cold. More concerned for his FIL, whom he had contact with and who is 82yo. FIL is vaxxed and most likely boostered. Will update when I find out how he fares.