NORFOLK, Va. — Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows how many times COVID-19 evaded our vaccines in 2022.
In late May, VDH closed its "Cases by Vaccination Status" and archived its dataset on the Virginia Open Data Portal. However, a public information officer with VDH said more than 100,000 COVID infections were considered a “breakthrough” between January 2022 and May when the dashboard was retired.
The following are the exact numbers:
- 183,087 with at least one dose of vaccine
- 134,224 for fully vaccinated
"Vaccine breakthroughs are expected when vaccine-induced immunity levels, those antibody levels, decrease over time," Dr. Lisa Thanjan, a VDH epidemiologist, said.
While state-level tracking isn't monitored as closely anymore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks cases by vaccination status across many U.S. jurisdictions.
According to COVID-19 case rates tracked across 31 U.S. jurisdictions, the country saw its highest level of breakthrough infections in mid-January during the Omicron variant surge, with almost 1,500 cases per every 100,000 people who received at least a "primary series" of a vaccine.
As time goes on, and new variants continue to emerge, Dr. Thanjan said there runs an increased likelihood that new variants that have higher transmission rates-- combined with waning efficacy-- are more likely to bypass existing vaccine formulas.
She added that the Food and Drug Administration will meet at the end of June to figure out if our current COVID vaccines need to be altered to help fight new variants.
For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, click here.