As Guy reported last week, "Incredible Data: COVID Vaccines' Track Record is Spectacular and Pandemic-Ending." It really is incredible that 5,800 have been infected after getting vaccinated, considering that if we use estimates of that time of 66 million vaccinated, those cases account for 0.008 percent of the fully vaccinated population.
The CDC emphasized that these "breakthrough cases are expected."
- Vaccine breakthrough cases are expected. COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control. However no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness. There will be a small percentage of people who are fully vaccinated who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from COVID-19.
- More than 75 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated as of April 14, 2021. Like with other vaccines, symptomatic vaccine breakthrough cases will occur, even though the vaccines are working as expected. Asymptomatic infections among vaccinated people also will occur.
You wouldn't know the good news, though, judging from the exchange between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Thursday. Here's some highlights:
Rep. Jordan: What is low enough? Give me a number. We had 15 days to slow the spread that turned into a year of lost liberty. What metrics, what measures, what has to happen before Americans get their freedoms back?
Dr. Fauci: My message Congressman Jordan is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can to get the level of infection in this country low, that it is no longer a threat. That is when.
Rep. Jordan: What determines when? What? What measure? Are we just gonna continue this forever? When do we get to the point, what measure, what standard, what objective, what outcome do we have to reach before Americans get their liberty and freedoms back?
Not only did Dr. Fauci not come up with an adequate answer, he also dismissed Rep. Jordan's serious concerns with liberties and grave consequences. "I don't look at this as a liberty thing, Congressman Jordan," Dr. Fauci said, to which Rep. Jordan responded "that's obvious. You think the Constitution is suspended during a virus, during a pandemic? It's certainly not."
Instead, Fauci emphasized "I look at this as a public health thing," as if public health and constitutional liberties were mutually exclusive.
Further, we will never be complete free from it as a threat. The CDC acknowledges that, all while still celebrating the vaccine's successes. Why is so hard for Dr. Fauci to do both?
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 15, 2021
Dr. Fauci doubled-down on this "I don't look at this as a liberty thing" angle during his Sunday's appearance on CNN's "State of the Union."
As usual, Dr. Fauci is wrong. It has everything to do with liberty. pic.twitter.com/qPLNoEvS0z
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) April 18, 2021
Coming from a place of frustration over vaccine hesitancy, Fauci explained to Dana Bash during that Sunday appearance that "the way you get rid of those restrictions is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly and as expeditiously as possible, because, when that happens, for absolutely certain, you're going to see the level of virus in the community go down and down and down, to the point where you would not have to have those public health restrictions."
Dr. Fauci also appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," where host Chuck Todd referenced Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who had said "If you get a vaccine... you’re immune and so act immune." Dr. Fauci still continues on with his fear mongering though:
Chuck Todd: The idea of life back to normal after you've been vaccinated. Governor Ron DeSantis, Republican from Florida, he thinks that the messaging has been muddled. He says, you know, "You tell people on one hand, 'You've got to get vaccinated, but you've still got to do all these things. You've still got to social distance. You still--'" He's concerned and he's not alone here—that it almost defeats the incentive to get the vaccination. It shouldn't, but it can. Why does a vaccinated person have to wear a mask?
Dr. Fauci: Okay. This is something that as we get more information it's going to be pulling back that you won't have to. But currently the reason is that when you get vaccinated, you are clearly diminishing dramatically your risk of getting infected. That's one of the things we've got to make sure everybody understands. You dramatically diminish it. However, what happens is that you might get infected and get absolutely no symptoms, not know you're infected and then inadvertently go into a situation with vulnerable people. And if you don't have a mask, you might inadvertently infect them. Now, there's a small risk of that, but it's there. The other thing is that there may be variants that are circulating. We know New York area has their own variant, 526. There's a South African variant. Fortunately for us, Chuck, the 117 variant that is dominant in Europe and in U.K. is also now dominant in the United States. Thank goodness the vaccine works very well against that variant.
That's a lot of hypotheticals that Dr. Fauci is going into. "Now there's a small risk of that," is indeed true considering the risk is around 0.008 percent. It's so small, Fauci may be going too far in continuing with "but it's there."
Why must vaccinated people still wear the masks?
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 18, 2021
Fauci: "You might get infected and get absolutely no symptoms and then [infect others]. ... The other thing is that there may be variants that may be circulating." #MTP
Forgive us, then, for thinking that that point will never come, if Dr. Fauci and President Joe Biden, who have both been fully vaccinated, are insisting on masking up or even double masking, and sticking to social distancing.