Syracuse, N.Y. — Breakthrough Covid-19 cases have occurred in about 1% of Onondaga County residents who were fully vaccinated against the virus.
Since the vaccine was rolled out earlier this year, 293,452 county residents have been fully vaccinated.
But the county has reported 3,223 Covid breakthrough cases.
Of those cases, 14 fully vaccinated people have died.
Most of the breakthrough cases in the county are occurring among people who received the Pfizer vaccine.
Those are some of the details about Covid breakthrough cases Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon revealed today during a press briefing.
A breakthrough case is an instance in which a person becomes infected with Covid even though they have been vaccinated against the virus.
McMahon said county data on breakthrough cases shows the vaccine has been an “incredibly effective tool overall.”
“The vaccine is our best tool with this virus to stay out of the hospital and to stay out of the ICU,” he said.
McMahon reported three more people died of Covid over the last 24 hours. One was a hospitalized man with underlying medical conditions. The other two were residents of senior care facilities.
That brings the county’s Covid death toll up to 761 since the pandemic began in March of 2020.
He also reported 88 people are hospitalized with Covid, 25 of them in intensive care units. McMahon said 92% of the people being treated in ICUs for Covid are unvaccinated.
Of the county’s fully vaccinated residents, 65.8% received the Pfizer vaccine, 26.6% got the Moderna vaccine and 8.2% got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Of the 3,223 county residents with breakthrough Covid cases, 66.7% received the Pfizer vaccine, 21.1% got the Moderna vaccine and 12.2% got Johnson & Johnson.
McMahon said the county analysis of vaccines received by residents who suffered breakthrough cases is very similar to national data.
James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com