Cautions for those who have not received their second vaccine shot

Those who got covid between vaccine doses urge caution: We were ‘so close’ Experts warn these cases should not be interpreted as evidence vaccines don’t work. The immune system needs several weeks to provide robust protection as the body learns the blueprint for stopping the virus before it can cause serious disease. Fenit Nirappil, Dan Keating Washington Post

There’s no clear data on how many people have contracted the coronavirus before their vaccinations could take full effect.

Based on a Washington Post analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Post estimates about 21,000 of 470,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus for the week ending Sunday already had their first dose. Michigan, where cases have been rising sharply with the rise of highly transmissible variants, accounts for about a tenth of that estimate.

Experts warn that these cases should not be interpreted as evidence that vaccines don’t work. The immune system needs several weeks to provide robust protection as the body learns the blueprint for stopping the virus before it can cause serious disease. They are not the same as “breakthrough infections” that happen at least two weeks after the final dose — which are overwhelmingly mild and extreme outliers.