COVID-19: 74% of people infected in Massachusetts outbreak were vaccinated, CDC data shows

A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that nearly three-quarters of people infected with COVID-19 at public events in Massachusetts earlier this month were fully vaccinated. According to the new data, around 469 cases of COVID-19 were associated with multiple large public gatherings in Provincetown from July 3-17. The CDC said that 346 cases - 74 per cent - occurred in people who were fully vaccinated against the deadly disease. 

The health agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said that overall, 247 vaccinated patients experienced symptoms, with the most common ones being cough, headache, sore throat, myalgia and fever. It added that at least five patients had to be hospitalised, including four who were fully vaccinated. No deaths were, however, reported. 

As per the data, the highly contagious delta variant was identified in 90 per cent of specimens from 133 patients. Further, the study also found that fully vaccinated people who get infected carry as much of the virus in their nose as unvaccinated people. It also said that they could spread it to others, although the vaccines appear to prevent most people from becoming seriously ill and reduce the chance of hospitalization.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, “This finding is concerning and was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC’s updated mask recommendation”. 

She added, “High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with delta can transmit the virus”.

‘War has changed’ 

This discovery led to the CDC’s recommendation earlier this week that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas where cases are surging. The US health agency has also said that the war against COVID-19 has changed because of the highly contagious Delta variant. According to a CDC document, the variant, which was first detected in India and is now dominant across the globe, is as contagious as chickenpox and far more contagious than the common cold or flu.

Moreover, the US officials also said that the Delta variant required a new approach to help the public understand the danger, including making clear that unvaccinated people were more than 10 times more likely than those who are vaccinated to become seriously ill or die. "The immediate next step for the agency is to acknowledge the war has changed," the CDC said. "Improve communications around individual risk among vaccinated,” it added. 

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