Breakthrough Cases Up 22 Percent In PA: Latest Data

PENNSYLVANIA — Just under 30 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania since Jan. 2021 have been in fully vaccinated individuals, although severe illness is significantly less likely and the vaccine remains the best defense against any variant of the virus, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Health.

Breakthrough cases were much more common with the rise of the omicron variant than they had been before. Over the 38 day period ending on Feb. 11, 48 percent of all cases were among the fully vaccinated. Compared to the 30 day period ending on Oct. 4, 2021, that's a 22 percent increase.

Data for Jan. 2021 to Nov. 2021 in Pennsylvania, published in December, indicated that only 12 percent of all cases in that time were among fully vaccinated people.

While overall case numbers have dropped rapidly statewide in February, officials in Pennsylvania are standing firm in the support of the importance of vaccines.

“The latest post-vaccination data continues to prove the science that getting up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations is effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said.

Fully vaccinated individuals accounted for 17 percent of all hospitalizations from Jan. 1 of this year, through Feb. 11. That's up from 10 percent for last year's data.

Further, 20 percent of deaths were amongst the fully vaccinated over the past month, as opposed to 11 percent last year.

Pennsylvania is no anomaly. These numbers are in line with much of the rest of the country.

“The post-vaccination percentages we are seeing here are on par with those in other states,” Klinepeter added.

While the omicron variant has had much more success evading the vaccine, the vaccine still offered significant protection. The numbers were dramatic in certain categories. Unvaccinated adults between the ages of 50 and 64 were 45 times more likely to be hospitalized, and those 65 and over were 51 times more likely to be hospitalized.

Statewide, 76 percent of all residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated.