'This Virus Is A Very Powerful Thing': Fully Vaccinated Cambridge Man Gets COVID-19 Breakthrough Infection
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - Jeff Davis says his kids were exposed to COVID-19 at summer camp. Then days later, he tested positive, even though he's fully vaccinated.
"It's a challenging time. It's frustrating, it's disappointing," Davis told WBZ-TV Friday.
He is currently in quarantine with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. His two boys, who are too young to be vaccinated, tested positive. Then, on Monday, he tested positive too.
"My fever spiked, my temperature was spiking, all the signs were hitting me. Congestion, sore throat, muscle aches, I was extremely, extremely tired," he said.
Davis is one of more than 6,300 people in Massachusetts to get a breakthrough case of COVID, representing 0.15 percent of those who are fully vaccinated in the state. As of Friday, 361 have been hospitalized and 91 have died.
"We will see what we call 'breakthrough infections' in the setting of the Delta variant being predominantly in the U.S," said Dr. Gabriela Andujar Vazquez of Tufts Medical Center.
The CDC says the Delta variant is much more contagious than previous strains, and there is also evidence people who are fully vaccinated and get infected can spread the virus.
"It is concerning," said Dr. Andujar Vazquez. "But the key is to increase those vaccination rates across the country so we can get ahead of it."
Davis got the Pfizer vaccine in April. He says even though he got COVID, this experience has made him an even bigger advocate of getting the vaccine.
"This virus is a very powerful thing," Davis said. "I went pretty down, but the ability to bounce back as a common cold or flu is kind of phenomenal."
Davis says that his wife also just tested positive for COVID, making her a breakthrough case as well.
Thankfully, her symptoms are much milder with just some congestion.