Don’t Panic — the Vaccines Are Not Failing

Photo by Marisol Benitez on Unsplash

It’s all over social media. The vaccines are failing. Vaccinated people are every bit as likely to get infected with COVID-19 as the unvaccinated, except they don’t know so they turn into super spreaders.

We’re back at square one.

It’s being spread both by anti-vaxxers and the wet blankets who think that this will never end and we have to go back into full lockdown forever.

So, let’s take a look at exactly what’s going on here.

What is a Breakthrough Infection?

In simple terms, a breakthrough infection is when you catch a disease despite being inoculated against it.

Breakthrough infections are completely normal. For example, for our typical seasonal flu vaccine, breakthrough infections are extremely common. Depending on the strain, the vaccine is only between 40% and 60% effective.

With measles, breakthrough infections are much rarer due to the fact that the measles virus is so stable. But the vaccine is still only 97% effective, and breakthrough infections of measles do happen.

None of this means the vaccinations aren’t worth it. In most cases, a breakthrough infection results in milder symptoms and clears your system faster than if you weren’t vaccinated.