The Robert Koch Institute collects data on all cases of people who became ill despite immunization. It is clear from them that since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in Germany there have been a total of 47,753 “breakthroughs” in immunization protection – so scientists call the cases of diseases of vaccinated, writes DW.
On this basis, the institute estimates the effectiveness of vaccines from the last four weeks at 84% for the age group under 60 and 83% for people over 60. At the same time, it is found that the Delta mutation, which is currently due in Germany 99.9% from infections, increases the number of outbreaks because this variant of the virus is much more contagious than the original form.
Why do breakthroughs occur at all?
It has been known since the advent of vaccines that immunized people can also become infected. Studies have shown that the drugs work very well, but none of them is 100% effective. Therefore, “breakthroughs” are normal – as with other vaccines.
The increase in breakthroughs now seen is also due to the fact that many no longer adhere so strictly to the rules of hygiene, says immunologist Catherine O’Brien of the World Health Organization (WHO). She points out that security measures are very important to keep the virus from spreading. “If the virus spreads faster and faster, it is more likely to come in contact with it – and this affects those who are immunized,” she said. Because in some rare cases they could get sick too.
How durable is the immune system?
Added to this is the fact that protection after immunization decreases over time – as antibodies built against the coronavirus gradually decrease. But it does not follow that the human body is defenseless – the immune system includes other defense mechanisms that are activated by immunization.
People who become infected despite immunization are likely to spread the disease in turn. But it is not yet clear how long a person remains infected for the rest after the breakdown of immunization protection.
Who are most affected?
The risk of coronavirus disease after vaccination is not the same for everyone. People with weakened immune systems are particularly affected, O’Brien explains, for example after an organ transplant or during cancer therapy. This is also due to the fact that with age the immune system becomes less flexible – it is no longer so strong against viruses unknown to it. The result: immunization has little or no effect and it is not possible to achieve lasting protection.
This can be seen from the current data of the Robert Koch Institute: in the age group of over 60, the share of breakthroughs in the last four weeks among the symptomatic cases of Kovid-19 is almost 45 percent. For younger people this share is 21.3 percent, and for the youngest 1.4 percent. However, it should also be borne in mind that the vaccination quota for people over 60 is significantly higher than among other age groups.
How does the disease progress?
Immunizers have one clear advantage – even in the event of an infection: they don’t usually get seriously ill, says immunologist O’Brien. Many do not even realize that they are ill or have very mild symptoms.
But age also plays a role in this regard. A study at Yale Medical School analyzed data from nearly 1,000 patients with COVID-19. It was found that people who fell ill despite immunization and had to be treated in hospital were on average 80.5 years old. Many of them had chronic previous illnesses. In Germany, there are so far 585 people over the age of 60 who have died from COVID-19, despite being immunized. There are only three in the age group under 60.
How strong is the protection against severe forms of COVID-19?
But it is also true for the elderly that, in general, immunization largely protects against severe or fatal disease. According to current data from Israel – in all age groups, protection is over 80 percent.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, fully vaccinated people over the age of 60 in Germany are protected up to about 95 percent from the risk of hospitalization and about 93 percent from death. These data also include known cases of breakthroughs in the last four weeks.
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