A fully vaccinated woman who got COVID-19 has advised others not to let their guard down as the possibility of contracting the virus remains a reality for those already jabbed.
While the vaccine drastically reduces the chances of having symptoms or needing hospital treatment, this “power” could also instil overconfidence, the woman warned.
She was bitten by her momentary lack of alertness leading to an “oversight”, she said, adding it could happen to anyone.
“Even though I am not vulnerable, I still feel fortunate that I did not end up in the ITU and I am thankful I got vaccinated,” she said, insisting, though, that people should not just rely on the vaccine.
She felt the successful national drive to get vaccinated should not stop there but constant messages should be going out highlighting that the chance of contracting the virus is only reduced and that “we must stay on the alert”.
“Maybe that subconsciously blasé moment, which can happen after so long, would not kick in.”
Preferring to remain anonymous, the woman said she was taken aback when she tested positive after an office colleague caught COVID-19.
Anything but blasé herself, she had been leading a relatively cautious life and limiting her socialising to a bubble of a handful of couples on her same wavelength.
“It did not cross my mind that this would happen; not because I was being cocky but because I felt I was doing the right thing.”
Double vaccinated with Pfizer since the end of May, she had remained conscious of the situation, bearing in mind that she and her partner were also visiting their elderly parents.
“I was aware of what was going on due to my work, which has been impacted by the pandemic, and we always wore masks – even when we were not really obliged to,” she recounted.
Tracing her steps back to understand the point of contagion, she said she was working closely with a young colleague who absent-mindedly approached her desk without a mask to show her something on her phone.
That was all it took.
These pockets of relaxation could mark the difference, she pointed out.
“In spring, we would leave all windows open. Now, in this heat, we close them and turn on the aircon.
“I also realised that even if you are being careful, others could be less guarded and living a more carefree life.”
Fortunately, the vaccinated persons she had been close to in the run-up, including elderly and vulnerable relatives, did not contract the virus.
But she did pass it on to an unvaccinated friend, who had just had a baby, when she gave her a lift and they both entered her air-conditioned car without a mask.
“Ironically, the minute we stepped out, we put our masks on,” she recalled.
While her symptoms were mild and “nothing new”, the fatigue overwhelmed her, and she slept for two straight days.
The second week was free of any ailments but made quarantine extra hard.
Returning to the office last week, she said she felt anxious and uncomfortable even though she never removed her mask and wore a second one at times.
“I realised this when I washed my fork under hot water for a while, even though it has nothing to do with anything.”
Unsure of how she will feel around friends, she is not convinced of their theory that she need not worry because she is now supposedly 100 per cent immune.
“I am not sure if this can ever be, especially with the variants.”
Going forward, she intends to continue following protocols, sticking around cautious people – and wearing a mask in the car.
“But I will also make sure my day includes self-care.” She believes that her neglect of her usual healthy routines, such as walking and yoga, affected her immune system.
“The only form of control we have is to avoid a repeat. And this is not just about limiting interaction in my view.”
We are still at war
Leonard Callus, 56, also caught the coronavirus after he had had two vaccines, although he points out that he was only 10 days into the second.
Acknowledging that “I could have been sicker, but I was not admitted to hospital, and I did not die”, his message is to get vaccinated.
“Or put Bill Gates’ microchip in your blood…”, Callus quipped about the anti-vaxxer conspiracy theory.
His experience was flu-like symptoms for about five days and a sore throat that persisted for almost three weeks, but he suffered no shortness of breath.
Although Callus, a self-confessed recluse, did not expect to get COVID-19 after having withstood the pandemic and warded off infection without protection, he took it in his stride and was only worried that he could have passed it on to someone else.
While he claimed he now has more antibodies – both from the vaccine and the sickness – he was aware that he could still be a carrier, which was another concern.
He could have caught it on the plane or on arrival at the airport, he believes.
“Yes, the vaccine can make you overconfident, but I would rather risk that than getting really sick.”
The experience has not served to make him more paranoid, nor to change his ways, but Callus remains aware that “we are still at war”.
Delta ‘highly contagious’
The Delta variant of the coronavirus is as contagious as chickenpox, probably causes more severe disease than past strains, and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases, according to a leaked US government document.
The document, by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stresses that “the war has changed” as a result of Delta, AFP reported.
Data from studies show that breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are highly contagious.
Accordingly, the CDC has changed its guidance to say vaccinated people need to test if they are exposed to the virus even if they don’t have symptoms.
A review of findings from other countries shows that while the original SARS-CoV-2 was as contagious as the common cold, each person with Delta infects on average eight others, making it as transmissible as chickenpox.
The CDC estimates the risk of severe disease or death is reduced tenfold or greater in the vaccinated, while risk of infection is reduced three-fold or greater.