Joan Barrows.Photo: Governor Phil Murphy/TwitterA New Jersey woman who was fully vaccinated against COVID died last month after arare breakthrough case.Joan Barrows, who received a lung transplant in 2010, died last month at age 62, according toNorthJersey.com.Barrows, who had gotten both doses of the Moderna vaccine, was infected aftercoming into contact with an unvaccinated person, and soon became seriously ill, the outlet reported. She went on to die in the same New York hospital where she received her transplant over a decade earlier.“Even though Joan was fully vaccinated, her medical history of pulmonary illness and transplant meant she remained especially vulnerable to COVID, and she fell ill,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphysaidat a recent press conference. “She is among the rare breakthrough cases.“As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they havereceived reportsof 4,115 people who have been hospitalized or have died from COVID-19 after breakthrough cases — a small fraction of the over151 million people who have been fully vaccinated.Among the 750 fatalities, 19% of those deaths were reported as being asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19. Additionally, over a quarter of patients hospitalized with breakthrough infections were found to be asymptomatic or their hospitalizations were not related to the virus. (As of May 1, the CDC only focuses on breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization or death.)The CDC notes that while “COVID-19 vaccines are effective and a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control,” there are “no vaccines” that are 100% effective in all individuals.“Vaccine breakthrough cases occur in only a small percentage of vaccinated people,” theywrote, noting that a breakthrough case applies to positive infections detected two or more weeks after individuals received all the recommended vaccine doses.There is also evidence that if vaccinated people do get sick, they will likely experience less severe symptoms and have a lower risk of death.RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: ‘I Can Help Save Others’Since her death, Joan’s friends and families have emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated.“When I hear somebody doesn’t want to get vaccinated, my head comes off,” her best friend Karen McGuirl told NorthJersey.com"She could have been alive today,” she added, as her brother Jim Russo remarked that she “was so determined to survive.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.During his press conference earlier this month, Gov. Murphy also shared that Joan’s family wishes “for everyone to remain vigilant and to not mistake vaccination for complacency.""[They] asked me to remind everybody through Joan’s example the vulnerability that some residents retain even through vaccination because of their longstanding medical conditions,” he said. “Those are wise words indeed.“Earlier in the speech, Murphy also encouraged all New Jersey residents to get vaccinated. “The time to wait is over,” he said.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Joan Barrows.Photo: Governor Phil Murphy/Twitter
A New Jersey woman who was fully vaccinated against COVID died last month after arare breakthrough case.Joan Barrows, who received a lung transplant in 2010, died last month at age 62, according toNorthJersey.com.Barrows, who had gotten both doses of the Moderna vaccine, was infected aftercoming into contact with an unvaccinated person, and soon became seriously ill, the outlet reported. She went on to die in the same New York hospital where she received her transplant over a decade earlier.“Even though Joan was fully vaccinated, her medical history of pulmonary illness and transplant meant she remained especially vulnerable to COVID, and she fell ill,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphysaidat a recent press conference. “She is among the rare breakthrough cases.“As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they havereceived reportsof 4,115 people who have been hospitalized or have died from COVID-19 after breakthrough cases — a small fraction of the over151 million people who have been fully vaccinated.Among the 750 fatalities, 19% of those deaths were reported as being asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19. Additionally, over a quarter of patients hospitalized with breakthrough infections were found to be asymptomatic or their hospitalizations were not related to the virus. (As of May 1, the CDC only focuses on breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization or death.)The CDC notes that while “COVID-19 vaccines are effective and a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control,” there are “no vaccines” that are 100% effective in all individuals.“Vaccine breakthrough cases occur in only a small percentage of vaccinated people,” theywrote, noting that a breakthrough case applies to positive infections detected two or more weeks after individuals received all the recommended vaccine doses.There is also evidence that if vaccinated people do get sick, they will likely experience less severe symptoms and have a lower risk of death.RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: ‘I Can Help Save Others’Since her death, Joan’s friends and families have emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated.“When I hear somebody doesn’t want to get vaccinated, my head comes off,” her best friend Karen McGuirl told NorthJersey.com"She could have been alive today,” she added, as her brother Jim Russo remarked that she “was so determined to survive.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.During his press conference earlier this month, Gov. Murphy also shared that Joan’s family wishes “for everyone to remain vigilant and to not mistake vaccination for complacency.""[They] asked me to remind everybody through Joan’s example the vulnerability that some residents retain even through vaccination because of their longstanding medical conditions,” he said. “Those are wise words indeed.“Earlier in the speech, Murphy also encouraged all New Jersey residents to get vaccinated. “The time to wait is over,” he said.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
A New Jersey woman who was fully vaccinated against COVID died last month after arare breakthrough case.
Joan Barrows, who received a lung transplant in 2010, died last month at age 62, according toNorthJersey.com.
Barrows, who had gotten both doses of the Moderna vaccine, was infected aftercoming into contact with an unvaccinated person, and soon became seriously ill, the outlet reported. She went on to die in the same New York hospital where she received her transplant over a decade earlier.
“Even though Joan was fully vaccinated, her medical history of pulmonary illness and transplant meant she remained especially vulnerable to COVID, and she fell ill,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphysaidat a recent press conference. “She is among the rare breakthrough cases.”
As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they havereceived reportsof 4,115 people who have been hospitalized or have died from COVID-19 after breakthrough cases — a small fraction of the over151 million people who have been fully vaccinated.
Among the 750 fatalities, 19% of those deaths were reported as being asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19. Additionally, over a quarter of patients hospitalized with breakthrough infections were found to be asymptomatic or their hospitalizations were not related to the virus. (As of May 1, the CDC only focuses on breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization or death.)
The CDC notes that while “COVID-19 vaccines are effective and a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control,” there are “no vaccines” that are 100% effective in all individuals.
“Vaccine breakthrough cases occur in only a small percentage of vaccinated people,” theywrote, noting that a breakthrough case applies to positive infections detected two or more weeks after individuals received all the recommended vaccine doses.
There is also evidence that if vaccinated people do get sick, they will likely experience less severe symptoms and have a lower risk of death.
RELATED VIDEO: Nurse Whose Husband Died of COVID Is on a Door-to-Door Vaccine Crusade: ‘I Can Help Save Others’
Since her death, Joan’s friends and families have emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated.
“When I hear somebody doesn’t want to get vaccinated, my head comes off,” her best friend Karen McGuirl told NorthJersey.com
“She could have been alive today,” she added, as her brother Jim Russo remarked that she “was so determined to survive.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
During his press conference earlier this month, Gov. Murphy also shared that Joan’s family wishes “for everyone to remain vigilant and to not mistake vaccination for complacency.”
“[They] asked me to remind everybody through Joan’s example the vulnerability that some residents retain even through vaccination because of their longstanding medical conditions,” he said. “Those are wise words indeed.”
Earlier in the speech, Murphy also encouraged all New Jersey residents to get vaccinated. “The time to wait is over,” he said.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
