But how rare?
Only 6,617 fully vaccinated people have died from what are known as breakthrough infections of COVID in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Infection. That's 0.006% of 185 million vaccinated people in this country.
Konidare, 58, a former manager at The Palm Beach Post, had been vaccinated with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot in March. He was diagnosed with COVID on Aug. 2.
Health authorities say the risks of hospitalization and death from COVID are much, much lower for vaccinated people so it is important to get fully vaccinated. The wave of infections and deaths from the delta variant were fueled largely by unvaccinated people.
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COVID hospitalizations and deaths of vaccinated people
The CDC highly recommends vaccination against COVID, citing effectiveness indicated first in clinical trials and demonstrated since among the nearly 200 million people in the U.S. fully vaccinated since the vaccines were granted emergency use authorization. But no vaccine has shown 100% protection against infection or illness from the virus. Infections that break through the protection offered by the vaccine are to be expected.
Despite the hospitalizations and the deaths that do occur among vaccinated people, the vaccines have been shown to greatly reduce the incidence of both. Unvaccinated people are eight times more likely to be infected, the CDC reported in September, and if infected, they are 25 times more likely to be put in the hospital and/or die.
Of the 6,617 vaccinated people who have died in the U.S., 86% were 65 or older, 44% were female and 15% were asymptomatic, meaning they went to the hospital with a condition other than COVID then tested positive. The CDC said that so far, it has not seen any unexpected patterns in these infections.
Holly Baltz is the investigative editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com.
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