July 20, 2021 Update:
COVID-19 Variants – COVID-19 mutates over time which leads to different variants. This is a normal and expected phenomenon. Remember, COVID-19 itself is a variant of previously existing coronaviruses. Some variants may be more contagious, some may be less vulnerable to vaccines or immunity from prior COVID-19 infections and some may cause more severe illness. The only way to learn about variants is to observe how they affect people over time so the learning process takes time.
At the moment, the Delta variant is most notable and has become the dominant strain in the US. Researchers continue to learn more about Delta daily but this variant seems to be vulnerable to vaccines (vaccines generally provide protection against Delta) but more transmissible than the original strain. Since Delta is more contagious it has the capacity to spread faster among unvaccinated individuals which is almost certainly the cause for the recent rise in COVID-19 infections. The best way to protect yourself against Delta is to get fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated you should continue to practice precautions against contagious diseases including, but limited to, wearing a mask outside of your home, practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently.
Breakthrough Cases – No vaccine is perfect and protection afforded by vaccines isn’t an “all or nothing” scenario. Rather, vaccines provide a spectrum of protection with no protection on one end and full protection on the other end. Most vaccinated folks fall somewhere in the middle. The COVID-19 vaccines generally provide very good protection against illness but fully vaccinated individuals can still get sick and when this happens we call them breakthrough cases. The infection has “broken through” the vaccine. Breakthrough cases happen with EVERY vaccine, not just COVID-19. GHD pays particular attention to breakthrough cases because these cases are key in determining if vaccines remain effective against various strains of COVID-19. The good news is that when fully vaccinated people get sick, their illness tends to be less severe and they are much less likely to require hospitalization. The vaccines still protect them even though they got sick.