MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota health officials are looking for positive cases of COVID-19 after someone has been completely vaccinated.
These types of infections are called “vaccine discovery cases”. The Minnesota Department of Health says it’s important to follow up on positive cases 14 days or more after a second vaccine. It could help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better understand the length of immunity to vaccines.
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Karla was relieved when her mother, 79-year-old Sharon, received her second dose of Pfizer COVID-19 on February 10. Thirteen days later, he tested positive for the virus after feeling unwell.
“I was really worried about her,” Karla said. “She had a sore throat and a cough and I said, ‘Mom, I have to go to the COVID test.'”
In a few days, he felt good. New data suggests that people are well protected after their first dose of Pfizer vaccine and about 95% effective after the second dose, according to Kris Ehresmann of MDH.
“The vaccine is 95% effective, which means that theoretically out of 100 people vaccinated, there may be five who do not have the same level of response to provide protection,” said Ehresmann.
MDH sent a referral to healthcare providers this week, asking them to look for people who tested positive for COVID 14 days after the end of the second dose, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic.
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Although Sharon’s case is not considered a vaccine discovery because her positive test came before the two-week limit after the second dose, health officials say it is a reminder to continue to take precautions.
“You still have to disguise yourself, you still have to make sure you distance yourself socially and consider those mitigation guidance measures that we talked about in the last year,” Ehresmann said.
Karla says she is grateful that her mother had only mild symptoms.
“It is possible that if he had not had the vaccine, it would have been a completely different story,” she said.
MDH says they had 14 confirmed cases of COVID found in Minnesota. All were in health care workers and were detected only because they are routinely tested for work. They also all had mild or no symptoms.
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The CDC says the administration of the flu vaccine also reduces the risk by 40% to 60%.