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I will start with that I feel like I'm the only person on the planet that's noticing this or questioning this. In reference to coronavirus, I am struggling with the term breakthrough. The definition of聽 breakthrough is that a fully vaccinated individual has been infected by a virus. This is according to the CDC and everything else that is being regurgitated. Note.... I want to mention that I feel like there's a distinct difference between contraction,聽and outcomes or level of infection. The word or term聽Breakthrough, suggests that there's some impenetrable wall or shield between me and the virus. Because it broke through something, correct?聽Stay with me...聽my understanding of聽vaccinations is that you may still contract any virus that you are vaccinated for, but聽likely will not get deathly ill from it or have any life threatening symptoms.聽Although slim, there are some cases where death or severe illness have聽occurred. (These are the only cases that should be considered breakthrough If you' are Insistent on using that word). With that understanding,聽every infection of a vaccinated individual Is considered a breakthrough聽 According to the CDC.聽If I had 10聽vaccinated聽individuals supplying all 10 of them with a coronavirus infected air supply, it is likely they will all contract the virus. The only聽exceptions are that 1 person may have held their breath,聽or another may not have been close enough to the air supply and did not contract the virus.聽So outside of good luck, most will contract the virus and will all be breakthrough cases .Where is the impenetrable wall or shield聽that warrants calling this a breakthrough.聽Breaking through what? It is simply just an infection. It's not a breakthrough. Because there's nothing to break through.聽Vaccines don't stop you from contracting the virus. They stop you from getting sick from it. The outcome or level of infection is what is important. So my point is, using the term breakthrough suggests that I am invincible to some degree to the virus, with the exception of these breakthrough cases.聽Thus resulting in the general public letting their guard down...
Thank you for an excellent observation and comment! Your sentiments have been expressed by myself and many others from the earliest days of rolling out the vaccines. It is a poorly understood and utilized term. The term breakthrough implies some expectation that the vaccines are intended to prevent any infection or interrupt transmission. I have always argued from the beginning (before vaccines were rolled out and during the earliest days of development of vaccines) that society should expect that vaccines which are developed and used will reduce hospitalization and death. The fact that we ultimately were able to demonstrate that the vaccines could also reduce mildly symptomatic infections and even reduce transmission were unexpected but highly laudable. Nonetheless, as you stated, having an infection despite being vaccinated (or boosted) does not mean the vaccine does not work…and using the term breakthrough is a disservice to the value of vaccination.
Multiple articles have discussed this in depth. I provide just two that might further enlighten this topic.
