Corona: Eight factors increase the risk of a “major vaccine breakthrough”

Created: 01/15/2022 05:58

By: Christina Denk

People who have been vaccinated are also becoming infected with the corona virus.

The courses are mostly mild.

However, certain factors can favor a major vaccine breakthrough.

Druid Hills - An infection with the corona virus despite vaccination?

This is possible and has happened more frequently since the spread of the omicron variant.

The vaccines primarily protect against a severe course, but not necessarily against infection with Corona.

Nevertheless, there are a few vaccinated people who have to be treated in hospital - we are talking about "severe vaccination breakthroughs".

A study from the USA has now determined the risk factors that can contribute to this.

More and more vaccination breakthroughs in Germany: no sign of a lower vaccination effect?

With Omikron, the number of vaccine breakthroughs is increasing, reported the

in December. A total of around 600,000 vaccination breakthroughs have been recognized in Germany since February 2021, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). According to the institute, however, these are not a sign of poor vaccination protection. "The more people in a population who are vaccinated (high vaccination rate), the more vaccination breakthroughs are observed," it informs in its weekly report. Because: None of the vaccines that are currently approved in the EU have an infection protection of 100 percent.

With a vaccination rate of currently 72.5 percent (second vaccination, as of January 14), a higher number of vaccination breakthroughs can be expected.

And a high vaccination rate helps: "In relation to the entire population, fewer people will fall ill with a high vaccination rate than with a low vaccination rate," according to the RKI.

Serious vaccination breakthrough: study determines who is particularly affected

So why is it that some people end up in the hospital with Covid symptoms despite being vaccinated?

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA have investigated this question.

In their study, they identified eight factors that increase the risk of a serious vaccine breakthrough.

Despite vaccination, a few patients end up in the intensive care unit.

A study has now identified risk factors.

© Peter Kovalev/Imago

Overall, the researchers analyzed data from over 1.2 million people who were immunized against the coronavirus between December 2020 and October 2021 - i.e. before Omikron.

The subjects received either two doses of Biontech or Moderna or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

Only 2,246 of the vaccinated people contracted the coronavirus in the study.

According to the researchers, this is 0.02 percent.

327 of them were treated in the hospital, 189 showed a severe course.

These were associated with shortness of breath, noninvasive and invasive ventilation, and admission to the intensive care unit.

Corona: Serious vaccination breakthrough - these are the risk factors

All 189 seriously ill vaccinated people in the study had one thing in common.

They had at least one risk factor.

Using the analyzed data, the researchers identified eight of these risk factors that led to severe courses in vaccinated people.

• Age over 65 years

• A suppressed immune system (due to illness or medication)

• diabetes

• A chronic kidney disease

• A chronic heart disease

• A chronic lung disease

• A chronic neurological disease

• A chronic liver disease

Among the vaccinated corona patients examined were also 36 people who died with the virus.

About 78 percent of these had four or more of the above risk factors.

Gender or vaccine used played no role in serious illness or death.

The study refers to the Delta variant and other mutations before it, the researchers point out.

It has not been confirmed whether the same pattern can be seen at Omikron.

Serious vaccination breakthrough: Experts recommend booster vaccination

As the researchers explain, "Vaccination against Sars-Cov-2 is highly effective in preventing COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths," according to the study.

A booster vaccination after the basic immunization has also proven to be effective in reducing the risk of infection.

Similar recommendations recently came from the STIKO (Standing Vaccination Commission).

This had recommended the booster vaccination from the age of 12.

Especially against the Omikron variant, they increase the protection again.

And Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) recently promoted the booster vaccination as an effective remedy for a severe course.

“The booster vaccination reliably prevents the severe course, even for older people.

That has to be our goal,” he wrote on Twitter, citing data from the UK.

So is a fourth prick coming?

Data from Israel recently put a damper on corresponding expectations.