Thread by @TimothyChase

#Breakthrough #infections #CDC #Walensky

(1/n) Under Walensky the CDC stopped tracking breakthrough infections back in May if they didn't require hospitalization. It helps keep down the numbers since hospitalization is rare among the fully vaccinated.

newsweek.com/why-did-cdc-st…

(2/n) Keeping numbers low this way may have seemed reasonable at the time since they wanted people to get vaccinated and since infection with Alphav rarely resulted in infectious fully vaccinated individuals.

cnn.com/2021/08/05/hea…

(3/n) However, this means that when the effectiveness of vaccines is measured in terms of the prevention of severe COVID it misses a great deal of infections among the fully vaccinated, as was belatedly learned by a John Hopkins epidemiologist...

baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/…

(4/n). Viral loads in the nose and throat are statistically indistinguishable among the infected vaccinated and unvaccinated. The fully vaccinated are likely equally able to infect others and responsible for substantial transmission.

nbcnews.com/science/scienc…

(5/n) It is common to hear that the current epidemic is an epidemic of the unvaccinated. They are after all those most likely to end up in the hospital. It is also sometimes pointed out that those whoo are unvaccinated are increasing the number of infections, giving the virus...

(6/n) ... a chance to mutate and become something even more dangerous than Delta. However, thanks to the CDC decision not to track asymptomatic and mild infections among the fully vaccinated we have been flying blind in a pandemic that had been transformed by Delta.

(7/n) Currently we have little information on how often the fully vaccinated have asymptomatic or mild infections, but what little we know from the unfortunate experience of the John's Hopkins epidemiologist and CDC's mentioned in their internal document suggests it is...

(8/n) ... quite common. So it would seem that while the unvaccinated are responsible for much of the transmission and potential evolution of the virus, the fully vaccinated bare much of this burden as well, particular when they choose not to wear masks.

(9/10) And however strongly worded the CDC's suggestion that the fully vaccinated wear masks in areas of high transmission (likely according to their state level national map, but many will likely substitute their own subjective impression), the CDCk knows most won't follow it.

(10/10) So it would seem the CDC currently shares much of the moral burden for transmission, evolution, and potentially increasing immune escape and virulence that await us in variants to come.