The Missouri health department added data on breakthrough COVID-19 infections — cases that occur after full vaccination — to its COVID-19 dashboard.
The data shows 2 percent of more than 3 million people who've been fully vaccinated in the state have developed COVID-19. There's been 655 deaths related to breakthrough cases in Missouri as of Nov. 18, or 0.02 percent of Missouri's fully vaccinated population. For comparison, about 90 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the state were among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people.
The additional data is provided through a partnership between the Missouri Hospital Association's hospital industry data institute and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, according to a Nov. 18 news release.
Older age and health comorbidities have been strongly correlated with breakthrough infections in the state, state health officials said.
"These data validate that breakthrough infections among the vaccinated population requiring hospitalization or resulting in mortality are rare," said Jon Doolittle, president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association.
"Where breakthrough is occurring and resulting in hospitalization or death, it is largely among individuals who — through a combination of age and illness — are more likely to have poor immune response or are susceptible from compromised overall health. This new information is yet another validation that vaccination is essential and further indicates that continued precautions to avoid infection should be taken," Mr. Doolittle said.
The state also added data about reinfections, which refers to a case that occurs when an individual tests positive for COVID-19, recovers, and tests positive again within 90 days. The dashboard displayed more than 6,600 reinfections as of Nov. 19.
Before this update, each case on the dashboard represented an individual Missourian. Now, the total count of cases represents individual infections among Missourians rather than Missourians who have been infected.