>> IN TOKYO ATHLETES, STREAMS
OF OLYMPIC GOLDS CRUSHED AFTER
TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS CATCHING
THE VIRUS TO EVEN AFTER BEING
FULLY VACCINATED OFFICIAL
REMAINS OFF CAMPUS AS THEY
WAIT FOR CONFIRMATORY PCR
TEST. THE HEADLINE SEEM
ENDLESS. THEY ARE ACTUALLY
PART OF A VERY RARE GROUP WHO
HAD A BREAKTHROUGH INFECTION
IS TESTING POSITIVE FOR THE
CORONAVIRUS MORE THAN 14 DAYS
AFTER BEING FULLY INOCULATED
THE CDC NO LONGER TRACKS
BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS. BUT
NBC NEWS FOUND 27 STATES
TRACKING THEM TELLING UP TO
MORE THAN 65,000 CASES OVER 6
MONTHS. THAT’S STILL ONLY
REPRESENT A FRACTION OF THE
MORE THAN 162 MILLION PEOPLE
WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE VACCINE.
THE CDC IS TRACKING
BREAKTHROUGH CASES THAT
INVOLVE HOSPITALIZATION OR THE
AGENCY HAS REPORTED NEARLY
6,000 OF THESE CASES SO FAR IN
WHICH A FULLY VACCINATED
PERSON WITH COVID-19 WAS
HOSPITALIZED OR DIED. THAT’S
ONLY 0, 0, 4%, OUT OF THE
MILLIONS VACCINATED. 74 1% OF
THOSE PATIENTS WERE OVER 65
THE VACCINES WERE NEVER.
>> DESIGNED TO PREVENT
INFECTION. RIGHT. THERE WERE
DESIGNED TO PREVENT SEVERE
DISEASE AND DEATH. THAT’S WHAT
YOU WANT THEM TO DO. THE
MAJORITY OF THESE BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTIONS ARE MILD OR
ASYMPTOMATIC. THEY TEND TO
HAVE WHAT IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A
HEAD COLD RIGHT. THEY’LL HAVE
A CAN JUST DON’T KNOW. HAVE
SORT OF KNOW, THEY HAVE A
LITTLE FEVER. THOSE BEING
HOSPITALIZED AND DYING FROM
COVID AFTER VACCINATION ARE
THE HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN LARGELY AFFECTED BY
THIS DISEASE. THE ENTIRE
PANDEMIC. PEOPLE 65 AND OLDER
OR THOSE WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE
SYSTEMS WHILE BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTIONS CAN OCCUR. IT
DOESN’T MEAN THE VACCINE IS NO
LONGER EFFECTIVE. OF COURSE,
WE KNOW THAT THIS VIRUS CAN
SPREAD EVEN IF THE CARRIER IS
ASYMPTOMATIC. BUT THERE’S ALSO
GROWING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING
FULLY VACCINATED. PEOPLE HAVE
A LOWER VIRAL LOAD, MEANING
THEY’RE PROBABLY MUCH LESS
LIKELY TO TRANSMIT THE VIRUS
EVEN IF THEY DO TEST POSITIVE.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, SOME
DOCTORS, INCLUDING MYSELF
BELIEVE WE NEED A NEW TERM FOR
SOME OF THESE A FULLY
VACCINATED PERSON WITH NO
SYMPTOMS. WHO IS TESTING
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 SHOULD
NOT BE CALLED A BREAKTHROUGH
INFECTION OR CONSIDERED A
POSITIVE CASE. IT’S UNLIKELY
THEY’LL SPREAD THE VIRUS THE
QUESTION BECOMES HOW TO
DESCRIBE THESE CASES. THERE’S
NOT GREAT TERM ANALOGY IN THE
MEDICAL COMMUNITY FOR IT. AND
IT CERTAINLY ISN’T SOMETHING
THERE’S LIKELY TO BE AGREEMENT
ON ANY TIME SOON. BOTTOM LINE,
THE VACCINES CONTINUE TO BE
ONE OF OUR STRONGEST WEAPONS
AGAINST THIS VIRUS, INCLUDING
THE MORE TRANSMISSIBLE DELTA
VARIANT, IF YOU’RE NOT
VACCINATED, THE DELTA VARIANT
IS GOING TO FIND YOU AND
YOU’RE GOING TO GET BACK AND
I’M REALLY SICK. AND I’M
REALLY SICK IN THE HOSPITAL. I
MEAN, I THINK THAT’S WHAT
PEOPLE WHO
>> DOCTOR GROUP BUT DOCTOR
GUPTA JOINS ME NOW. AND I HAVE
TO SAY DOCTOR GUPTA EVERYTHING
THAT YOU JUST SAID IN THAT
STORY IS HITTING SO CLOSE TO
HOME FOR ME AND SO MANY
FRIENDS THAT I KNOW I’M
HEARING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
FULLY VACCINATED, WHO HAVE
BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID EVEN
THROUGH OTHER FULLY VACCINATED
PEOPLE. AND IT’S JUST IT’S
CAUSING A LOT OF ALARM,
UNFORTUNATELY. SO I’M GLAD
YOU’RE HERE. YOU JUST
MENTIONED HOW RARE
BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS ARE.
BUT EXPERT TELL EXPERTS TELL
NBC NEWS THAT WE’RE GOING TO
SEE MORE OF THEM IN PLACES
WHERE VACCINATION RATES ARE
LOW AND THE DELTA VARIANT IS
SPREADING. SO IF YOU’RE
VACCINATED, BUT LET’S SAY
YOU’RE AT A HIGHER RISK OF BAD
OUTCOMES FROM COVID SAY YOU
HAVE A PREEXISTING CONDITION,
SOMETHING LIKE DIABETES. ARE
YOU MORE AT RISK THAN FOR A
BREAKTHROUGH CASE.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. YOU ARE
YOU WOULD BE CONSIDERED
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED AND TAKE US
A LONG LISTS ACTUALLY
CONDITIONS. THAT’S 10 UNDER
LABEL OF BEING
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED SO TO
ENCOURAGE VIEWERS TO TALK TO
THEIR DOCTOR. MAYBE IT’S
RECENTLY HAD CANCER AND OUR
AND CHEMOTHERAPY ARE ON HIGH
DOSES OF STEROIDS BATTLE
QUALIFIES AND YOU WOULD BE
CONSIDERED IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
YOU SHOULD BE MASKING IN
PUBLIC SETTINGS, EVEN IF
YOU’RE FULLY VACCINATED. OR IF
OVER 65 WE KNOW FOR EVERYBODY
ELSE. SO THAT EVEN IF YOU DO
TEST POSITIVE THAT THE CHANCES
THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE SICK
ENOUGH TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL
OR EVEN TO TRANSMIT THE VIRUS
ARE VERY, VERY SLIM.
>> AND AS THE PANDEMIC GOES
ON, WE’VE HEARD MORE ABOUT
LONG COVID. SO PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS. WAY
AFTER THEY’VE TESTED POSITIVE
LIKE LONG-TERM LUNG DAMAGE. SO
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE
WITH BREAKTHROUGH CASES SHOULD
BE CONCERNED ABOUT, ESPECIALLY
SINCE MOST OF THESE
BREAKTHROUGH CASES ARE
ASYMPTOMATIC.
>> THINK COMES DOWN TO WHAT DO
WE KNOW? WE KNOW THAT LONG
COVID SOMETIMES CAN IMPACT
THOSE WHO AREN’T VACCINATED TO
END HAVING MILD SYMPTOMS UP
FRONT AND THEN IF THEY DEVELOP
THESE LONG COVID LIKE SYMPTOMS
OVER THE COURSE OF MANY MONTHS
AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, IT’S
UNCLEAR WHETHER OR HOW OFTEN
THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED SOME
MONTHS TO FULLY VACCINATED. WE
MET THERE ARE ANECDOTAL SEEMS
EXCEEDINGLY RARE JUST LIKE IF
YOU END UP IN THE HOSPITAL
WITH SEVERE COVID PNEUMONIA.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE. SO THIS
WHOLE REALLY COMES DOWN TO
RISK TOLERANCE. RISK IS NEVER
GOING TO BE 0 FOR DEVELOPMENT
OF ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS BY
TEACHER OTHERWISE HEALTHY LESS
THAN 65 THE CHANCES OF ANY OF
THESE THINGS HAPPENING, 10, 2
DOSES OF VACCINE ARE
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND WE NEED
THAT. WE NEED TO COMFORTABLE
WITH THAT GUIDANCE.
>> SO THESE MASK MANDATES AND
A LOT OF STATES HAVE BEEN
GOING AWAY. PEOPLE ARE GETTING
BACK OUT THERE GETTING BACK TO
LIVING THEIR NORMAL LIVES AND
WE’RE SEEING THE RESURGENCE OF
SOMETHING ELSE. THE COMMON
COLD. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE AS
FAR AS WHEN VACCINATED VIEWERS
SHOULD GET A COVID TEST. I
MEAN, IF YOU IF YOU HAVE
SYMPTOMS OR EVEN IF YOU HAVE
BEEN EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WHO
HAS THE VIRUS. SHOULD YOU JUST
RUN OUT AND GET A TEST
IMMEDIATELY.
>> IF YOU’RE FULLY VACCINATED
TO ANSWER A SECOND QUESTION
FIRST. IF YOU’RE VACCINATED
AND YOU ARE IN CLOSE CONTACT
WITH SOMEBODY WHO HAVE YOU
KNOW, HAS COVID. NO, YOU DO
NOT. UNLESS YOU DEVELOP
SYMPTOMS. SO UNLESS YOU
DEVELOP IF YOU’RE ASYMPTOMATIC
AND YOU’RE IN CLOSE CONTACT TO
WORRY ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY
FULLY VACCINATED. THAT’S THE
KEY PIECE. IF YOU DEVELOPED A
COLD, A RUNNING NOSE FEVERS
CHILLS SHORTNESS OF BREATH
REALLY ANY OF THE COVID LIKE
SYMPTOMS WE’VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT LAST 20 MONTHS. YOU
SHOULD GET TESTED JUST 3 US
AND PEACE OF MIND IN,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SEE
UNVACCINATED KIDS AT HOME.
IT’S GOOD FOR YOU TO KNOW
WHETHER OR NOT YOU MIGHT BE
FOUND POSITIVE AND POTENTIALLY
EVEN THOUGH THIS IS RARE
POTENTIALLY TRANSMISSIBLE TO
THOSE IN YOUR FAMILY WHO MIGHT
BE AT HIGH RISK YET HAVE YET
TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE SO THAT
THE KEY PIECE THERE. SO ANY
COVID SYMPTOMS TO GO AHEAD AND
GET THAT TEST JUST FOR YOUR
OWN KNOWLEDGE. THE WELL-BEING
OF YOUR FAMILY.
>> AND JUST A BIT OF A
FOLLOW-UP TO WHAT YOU JUST
MENTIONED THERE. SO IF YOU’RE
VACCINATED, BUT LET’S SAY
YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO COVID
OR. I GUESS I’LL JUST ASK YOU
STRAIGHT UP LIKE WHEN SHOULD
SOMEONE ISOLATE IF THEY’RE
VACCINATED.
>> THEY SHOULD ONLY ISOLATE IF
THEY HAVE SYMPTOMS. THE CDC
HAS COME OUT WITH CLEAR
GUIDANCE FULL LEE TO 2 WEEKS
ACTUALLY LASTS THE VACCINE.
AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT YOU
NEED 2 DOSES OF THE VACCINE SO
WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT
MEANS FOR ONCE I CHANGED
YEARS. BUT IF YOU’VE GOT FOR 2
WEEKS AFTER YOUR SECOND DOSE
OF THE VACCINE. EVEN IF YOU’VE
BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT SOMEBODY
ONLY ISOLATE IF YOU HAVE ARE
DEVELOPING SYMPTOMS OR
ASYMPTOMATIC. YOU DO NOT NEED
TO TEST. YOU DO NOT NEED TO
ISOLATE.
>> DOCTOR GUPTA, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR ALL THAT CLARITY AND
ADVICE THAT YOU JUST OFFERED
US THERE. ♪