'Breakthrough' COVID-19 Cases, Deaths In CT: Here's What To Know

CONNECTICUT — Of the 2,124,106 Connecticut residents who have been completely vaccinated, 854 still went on to contract COVID-19, according to data from the state Department of Public Health released this week.

So-called "vaccine breakthrough cases" occur when a person who has completed their vaccine series, is exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and then becomes infected with COVID-19. Twenty-one, or 2.5 percent, COVID-19 related deaths have occurred among the state's 854 vaccine breakthrough cases.

Although the numbers may come as a shock to residents who perceived the vaccine as some kind of elixir of immunity, the data "clearly show that the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at fighting the virus," according to DPH spokesman Chris Boyle. Less than 0.1 percent of Connecticut's fully vaccinated persons reported to DPH as having contracted the virus.

Among the 854 vaccine breakthrough cases, 393 had reported symptoms of the disease and 150 have been hospitalized. Most hospitalizations have occurred among residents 55 years and older, Boyle told Patch.

Seventeen of the 21 COVID-19 associated deaths among the breakthrough cases were suffered by the oldest population, aged 75 and over. Two were in the age group 55-64, and two were 65-74 years of age. Nationally, the CDC has reported a total of 988 vaccine breakthrough deaths.

DPH also announced that of the 854 breakthrough cases, 513 (60.0%) cases were among women, and 77 (9.0%) cases occurred among persons living in congregate settings such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

Due to the continued low COVID-19 case counts and high vaccination rates among Connecticut’s long-term care facilities, the DPH has announced it is transitioning the release of its reports on nursing home facilities to every other week. The next nursing home report will be issued on Thursday, July 22, 2021.

Assisted living facilities are no longer required to report COVID-19 case counts on a weekly basis to the Department of Public Health, and the agency will bring an end to releasing regular reports of COVID-19 cases in assisted living facilities.

As of Thursday, Connecticut residents who have received at least one dose by age group include 96 percent of those over the age of 65, 85 percent of those between 55-64, 74 percent of those between 45-54, 75 percent of those between 35-44, 62 percent of those between 25-34, 59 percent of those between 18-24, 66 of those between 16-17, and 49 percent of those between 12-15.

The trajectory of full vaccinations for the youngest eligible age group, 12-15, took off like a rocket at the beginning of June, but now shows signs of levelling off. As of Wednesday, 40.5 percent of residents in that demographic have been fully vaccinated, and 49.2 percent had at least one jab.

As of Friday, Connecticut is behind only Vermont and Massachusetts in the percentage of its population fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Mansfield, less than a third of the residents have been fully vaccinated, and just about 35 percent have had their first dose. Canaan continues to lead all Connecticut municipalities in rolling out the vaccine to its residents, with 92.21 percent of its population fully vaccinated as of Thursday.

The number of coronavirus delta variant cases identified by genetic sequencing in the state is up 36 cases, to 87. Among the state's other variants of concern, the week's biggest mover is variant epsilon, up 1,359 cases. Alpha is up 14, and gamma, 7. Cases of the beta variant held steady at 40.

Of the variants of interest currently found in Connecticut, incidents of variants zeta, eta and kappa have all held steady at nine, 21 and two, respectively. Cases of the iota variant rose by eight, to 1,805.

Whole genome sequencing results were reported to the DPH for 103 vaccine breakthrough cases, and only one was the highly-transmissible delta variant. Among these persons the following variants were reported; 61 (59.2%) alpha, 13 (12.6%) iota, 8 (7.8%) gamma, 2 (1.9%) beta, 2 (1.9%) eta, 2 (1.9%) delta, 1 (1.0%) epsilon, and 14 (13.6%) were other variants.

Three more virus-related deaths were reported this past week, bringing the death toll for the pandemic to 8,282 in Connecticut.

Red returns to the "red zone" this week. Franklin has recorded a positive case rate of 26 per 100,000 population over the last 2-week reporting period.

Towns fall into the red zone when they report 15 or more cases per 100K over a 2-week average. The color codes correspond to guidance from the state Department of Public Health.

An additional 738 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state over the past week, bringing that total to 350,536. With 11,759 tests reported Thursday, the daily positivity rate going into the weekend is 1.28 percent, up from m 0.52 percent seven days ago.

Although the positivity rate is far from its heights last spring, or even the fall surge, it is on par with the mid-summer levels from last year.

The number of Connecticut residents hospitalized with COVID-19 is 38, up 12 beds over the past week.

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