COVID vaccine likely saved life of man who still had Delta variant, doctor says – CBS Los Angeles

PITTSBURGH (KDKA-TV) – 73-year-old man recovers at VA Hospital in Oakland, Pa., After contracting Delta variant of COVID-19. There is, however, a critical turning point in his history: he is fully vaccinated. Doctors believe he might not be here today if he hadn’t received the vaccine.

Joe Pucci was hospitalized on July 3 as he struggled to breathe. The diagnosis came soon after and at one point the former Marine refused to go on a ventilator. He is responding to the medication and is doing better, but his case raises questions.

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“When you are vaccinated you can still catch COVID,” said Dr. Angelique Campen of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. “But you are much less likely to get sick from it, and much less likely to pass it on to anyone.

She said she and her colleagues had yet to hospitalize anyone who was fully vaccinated. It comes as LA County battles slowing daily vaccination rates.

Health experts said there were 839 new cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County on Thursday, up 156% from last Thursday. The positivity rates are at 2.5%, more than double from last week.

County health officials are using the numbers to urge more residents to get vaccinated.

Infectious disease specialist Dr Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins understands this will be a cause for concern for anyone who is confident about their vaccination. “It’s also important to remember that this person is probably alive because they’ve been vaccinated,” he said. “So while the vaccine did not prevent a Delta variant infection, it surely played a major role in keeping that person from dying from that infection.”

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Dr Adalja said this should not undermine confidence in existing vaccines. “We know the vaccines are extremely, extremely effective when it comes to the Delta variant, when it comes to the things that matter, hospitalization for serious illness and death,” he explained.

While Joe Pucci’s case receives a lot of attention due to the gravity of his experience, Dr Adalja points out that vaccines are not perfect.

“No vaccine is 100%, and there are going to be breakthrough infections and when they do happen they are more likely to be with one of the variants that can be problematic for the vaccine where it doesn’t. the same level of effectiveness, but you have to remember that these breakthrough infections are so rare, ”he said.“ We’re going to see breakthrough infections and they’re extremely rare and breakthrough infections like the one that happened. in this individual are even rarer because most of these breakthrough infections that we are seeing are clinically insignificant. “

In fact, Dr Adalja says Fucci should be a point of solace for naysayers.

“I would show this man and say, ‘You see, it worked, he didn’t die from COVID-19,’ and what we wanted our vaccines to do is prevent hospitalization for serious illness. in the event of death, “he explained. . “It’s the most important thing a vaccine can do and I think this man is probably alive because he was vaccinated, and even though he got a breakthrough infection, which is rare. I think it’s really the other way around that this vaccine probably helped her survive COVID-19. “

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He stressed that the more people are vaccinated, the lower the risk will be for everyone, including children who have not been vaccinated. As for the children, Dr Adalja suggested that they continue to hide indoors in public places and in crowds until they can get vaccinated.