What Are Reasons for "Breakthrough Infections" of COVID?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kyphysics
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Covid
Click For Summary
Vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, are not 100% effective at preventing infections due to several factors. While immunosuppressed individuals are a known group that may not respond adequately, other reasons include potential interactions with medications that could interfere with the immune response, underlying medical conditions like cancer or HIV, and age-related declines in immune function. The effectiveness of vaccines can vary significantly, as seen with flu vaccines, which range from 30% to 80% effectiveness. Breakthrough infections have become a recognized phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting that vaccine efficacy is a complex interplay of initial viral load and the body's antibody response. Overall, vaccine effectiveness is inherently a numbers game, influenced by various biological and environmental factors.
kyphysics
Messages
684
Reaction score
445
I know even the best vaccines aren't 100% effective at preventing infections and there are lots of people who take immunosuppressants whose immune systems don't mount the proper response to the COVID vaccines. Other than these specific folks, I'm wondering what other reasons there might be for vaccines not protecting against infection?

Might it be that a fully vaccinated person is taking some meds that (unbeknownst to them) interfere with the intended immune response from the vaccine? Might some medical condition, such as cancer or HIV do the same? Does very old age just lead to much "slower" and/or malfunctioning immune responses that don't let the vaccines work optimally in such people?

Just a curiosity I have and haven't read anything on it, so wondering if others may have and don't mind sharing. :smile:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The mRNA vaccines are unusually effective. Flu vaccines vary between like 30% and 80% and I don't think I'd ever heard the term "breakthrough infection" before COVID. Vaccines just aren't ever 100% effective and that's a totally normal thing.

Ultimately it is surely a numbers game: how many initial virus particles vs how many antibodies determines which wins and by how much.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes Astronuc, pinball1970, Vanadium 50 and 1 other person

Thread 'Why do we spend so little time learning grammar in college?'

To some degree, this thread is inspired by PF user erobz's thread "Why do we spend so much time learning grammar in the public school system?" That's why I made a title to this thread that paralleled the title of erobz's thread. I totally disagree with erobz. I created this thread because the curriculum of grammar at Universities is a totally distinct topic from the topic of the curriculum of grammar in public schools. I have noticed that the English grammar of many ( perhaps most)...
View full post »

Similar threads

Getting a Vaccination vs Having Recovered from Covid -- Are they equivalent?
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
3K
Are the COVID Vaccines Unusually Ineffective?
  • · Replies 100 ·
4
Replies
100
Views
9K
What are the mechanisms of immune response after Covid vaccination?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
COVID MRNA Vaccine Safety: Answer of the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
COVID What are the Correlations Between Vaccine Side Effects & Antibody Levels?
  • · Replies 56 ·
2
Replies
56
Views
7K
Mechanism of asymptomatic Covid infections
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
COVID Effectiveness of COVID policies
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
COVID COVID researchers discover why some people are asymptomatic
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Can a COVID vaccine cause a cancer (e.g., lymphoma) to be worse?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
COVID Lingering effects of a COVID infection: Post COVID Syndrome
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
3K