The CDC Only Tracks a Fraction of Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections, Even as Cases Surge

In addition to the hospitalization and death information, the CDC is working with Emerging Infections Program sites in 10 states to study breakthrough cases, including some mild and asymptomatic ones, the agency's email said.

While the vast majority of those cases were relatively mild, the Massachusetts outbreak contributed to the CDC reversing itself on July 27 and recommending that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors - 11 weeks after it had told them they could jettison the protection.

The CDC tracked all breakthrough cases until the end of April, then abruptly stopped without making a formal announcement.

Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., became alarmed after the Provincetown outbreak and wrote to CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on July 22, questioning the decision to limit investigation of breakthrough cases.

In Texas, where COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing, a state Health and Human Services Commission spokesperson told ProPublica in an email the state agency was "Collecting COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases of heightened public health interest that result in hospitalization or fatality only."

Some county-level officials said they track as many breakthrough cases as possible even if their state and the CDC does not.

"Everyone has a right to know how many breakthrough cases there are," she said, "I was under the impression that if I did get a breakthrough case, it would just be sniffles. They make it sound like everything is under control and it's not."

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-cdc-only-tracks-a-fraction-of-breakthrough-covid-19-infections-even-as-cases-surge