Vaccine breakthrough cases continue to climb: Over 13,000 since January

Through the end of September 2021, a total of 13,265 Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough cases were documented among Alaska residents, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. An additional 2,906 cases occurred among Alaska residents who were partially vaccinated.

The state notes that the incidence of Covid-19 among vaccinated persons has remained consistently lower than among persons who were unvaccinated.

As the number of vaccinated persons increases in Alaska, so do breakthrough cases. But in September the breakthrough cases set a new high of 35.2 percent of all known Covid cases.

Alaskans started receiving Covid vaccines in March, when Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced the shot would be available for all individuals who live or work in Alaska and are age 16 and older, making Alaska the first state in the nation to remove eligibility requirements. By May, Alaskans as young as 12 were allowed to get the vaccine.

Vaccinations for Covid are reducing hospital stays for those Alaskans who choose to get the vaccine, but since July, the rate of hospitalization for Covid breakthrough cases jumped dramatically has averaged 56 cases per month.

The State’s official position is that:

• Covid-19 vaccines continue to provide strong protection, especially against hospitalization and death.
• Most Covid-19 hospitalizations in Alaska could be prevented by vaccination.
• Covid-19 cases have become more common among fully vaccinated persons than they were in the initial months after vaccine roll-out, but fully vaccinated people continue to be less likely to have Covid-19 than people who aren’t fully vaccinated.
• CDC recommends that fully vaccinated persons wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with substantial to highcommunity transmission.
• While people can be infected with Covid-19 multiple times, prior infection confers partial protection. Vaccination provides additional protection in those who have been infected and is recommended regardless of history of prior infection.

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