The short answer is Yes. There were a small number of cases reported globally regarding COVID-19 infection by fully vaccinated individuals. However, one does not simply assume that the corona virus vaccine is worthless and unnecessary just because of that. The public needs to realize that vaccines and inoculation acts as a mere precursor that enhances our immune system,
➔ to either reduce the susceptibility of the viral infection;
➔ to prevent the spread of disease, or more importantly;
➔ to reduce the risk of life-threatening complications.
How Vaccines Actually Work?
Vaccine works by either mimicking the viral identity of a virus or by using a dead virus that is harmless to our body. Onced a vaccine is injected into the circulatory system, our adaptive immune system will deploy defensive cells called lymphocytes to specifically develop the right protocols in identifying and killing the artificial threat.
Having had memory cells, these lymphocytes will store and remember the protocols to execute a faster and more efficient response to any future infection by a similar (albeit actual) threat. This not only allows for a safer exposure towards the virus, but also makes it less likely for an infected (yet fully vaccinated) individual to develop life-threatening complications..
A Vital Two Weeks Window Period
Moreover, when talking about fully vaccinated individuals, it is actually referring to a specific condition that must be met with either one of these criteria
● Two weeks after receiving their second dose in a 2-dose regimen, by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, or Sputnik V vaccines.
● Two weeks after receiving a single-dose regimen, by the CanSinoBio vaccine.
The two weeks window period is an average estimation of when a vaccine has managed to build the required level of immune protection. Thus only then, individuals are considered to be fully vaccinated and perhaps the community as a whole are one step closer to develop an essential herd immunity
Those that are within the two weeks window period are advised to stay healthy and avoid any unnecessary risk of infection within the critical period. Individuals that unfortunately do get infected by COVID-19 however must undergo strict therapy and isolation measures before being allowed to proceed with their required second dose in order to complete the inoculation process.
What We Know So Far
Besides that, according to the CDC and WHO, as more and more data are being thoroughly monitored, fueled by the increase in participation of vaccination programs all over the world, scientists are closely studying how well the COVID-19 vaccines are able to prevent the spread of the disease especially with regards to mutating variant of the virus. In addition they are also trying to figure out how long can the vaccine provide the required level of immune protection once they are fully vaccinated
What we understand so far is that
❏ COVID-19 vaccination is very safe and effective
❏ The vaccination itself will not cause a COVID-19 infection to its receiver
❏ There are going to be a well anticipated risk of developing side effects after each vaccination
❏ There are risk of being infected by COVID-19 even after being considered fully vaccinated
❏ Fully vaccinated and infected individuals will not spread the virus if they are asymptomatic
❏ Vaccine are the best options we have to mitigate the rising cases of COVID-19
❏ Further investigations are being developed and new findings are updated concurrently as we speak.
The Ideal Situation
As of right now the most important thing is to remain vigilant and follow the new norms. Although some restrictions have been uplifted for those that are fully vaccinated. Ideally all members of the community still need to adhere to the safety measures such as social distancing, wearing face masks in public and good hand sanitation for as long as the pandemic has not been fully eradicated from the society.
