OHA releases new COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough report, Oct. 15

OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released Thursday, found that 72.8% of the 9,141 reported COVID-19 cases between Oct. 3 through Oct. 9, occurred in people who were unvaccinated. There were 2,490 breakthrough cases, accounting for 27.2% of all cases. The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 47. Sixty-five breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 122 breakthrough cases in people ages 12 to 17. To date, there have been 30,687 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases is 48. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties. Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is currently approximately 3.5 times higher than in vaccinated people. To date, 4.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 1% have died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 81. Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The number of vaccine breakthrough cases identified in Oregon remains very small when compared to the more than 2.75 million Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This week OHA added three new features to the breakthrough report. Data is now available by vaccine manufacturer, including the number of breakthrough cases and their severity. This report also shows the number of Oregonians who received each vaccine, as well as the number of breakthrough cases per 100,000 vaccinated people. In addition, OHA has expanded demographic data to include race and ethnicity for breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Finally, OHA added a new map showing cumulative breakthrough cases for each county. In general, breakthrough case counts correspond with population size, vaccination rates, and overall case counts.