Cited by 421SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 Clinical Research Studies

COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections Reported to CDC — United States, January 1–April 30, 2021

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CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigations Team, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigations Team, Birhane, Meseret, Bressler, Sara, Chang, Gregory, Clark, Thomas, Dorough, Layne, Fischer, Marc +13 more·2021·MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccines are a critical tool for controlling the ongoing global pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorizations for three COVID-19 vaccines for use in the United States.* In large, randomized-controlled trials, each vaccine was found to be safe and efficacious in preventing symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 (1-3). Despite the high level of vaccine efficacy, a small percentage of fully vaccinated persons (i.e. received all recommended doses of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine) will develop symptomatic or asymptomatic infections with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (2-8).

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Crossref · 10.15585/mmwr.mm7021e3

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  • In April 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a notice that breakthrough infections of COVID-19 in vaccinated individuals would no longer be recorded unless the cases were hospitalized.

    “In April 2021, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a notice that breakthrough infections of COVID-19 in vaccinated individuals would no longer be recorded unless the cases were hospitalized [36].”

    From Relative risk reduction: Misinformative measure in clinical trials and COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (2022) · cites this paper as [36]

    The report’s main text says that beginning May 1, 2021, CDC stopped monitoring all reported breakthrough infections and focused its investigations on patients who were hospitalized or died. It does not establish that CDC issued the notice in April, and the claim omits deaths and overstates the change as an end to recording other cases: the report says CDC would continue studies collecting information on breakthrough infections regardless of clinical status. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigations Team, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigations Team, Birhane, M., Bressler, S., Chang, G., Clark, T., Dorough, L., Fischer, M., Watkins, L. F., Goldstein, J. M., Kugeler, K., Langley, G., Lecy, K., Martin, S., Medalla, F., Mitruka, K., Nolen, L., Sadigh, K., Spratling, R., Thompson, G., & Trujillo, A.
Corresponding author
Fischer, Marc
Venue
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Published
2021-05-28
Volume
70
Issue
21
Pages
792-793
ISSN
  • 0149-2195 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-861X
OpenAlex
W3165605711
Cited by
421
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 173 · 2021: 115
FWCI
30.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine efficacy, asymptomatic infection, emergency use authorization, vaccine safety, United States
MeSH terms
COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccines, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S., Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, United States, Treatment Failure, Disease Notification

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