Expert Explains Why Fully Vaccinated People Still Catch Omicron Variant

The COVID-19 vaccines are still "doing their job" even though fully jabbed people are testing positive for the virus amid a surge in cases driven by the omicron variant.

Dr. Jeffrey Jahre from St. Luke's University Health Network compared the coronavirus vaccine to the influenza vaccine in that the former's main purpose was to keep people away from "the most serious consequences of getting the disease," WNEP-TV 16 reported.

"What we are speaking about there is hospitalization and, obviously, very severe hospitalization and in intensive care unit and also tragically, death. In that situation, the COVID vaccines have been very good in doing their job," Jahre told the outlet.

The coronavirus vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness and death, but some who have received them will still get COVID-19 as the "vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even with cases of breakthrough infections, or fully vaccinated people becoming infected, Jahre noted that more than 80% of inpatients and more than 90% of intensive care unit patients within his hospital's network were unvaccinated.

The doctor warned unvaccinated people not to dismiss the omicron variant of COVID-19, which is “very transmissible” even if it does not attack the lungs as much as the delta variant.

"Don't disregard this, don't put it aside and think that it is really nothing. It can be and particularly in people who are vulnerable. There is something you can do about it, and that something you can do about it is getting vaccinated and strongly consider a booster shot," Jahre said.

People should wear masks indoors and avoid crowds regardless of their vaccine status, health experts noted.

When it comes to what type of mask people should wear, many doctors and medical experts have recommended the N95 certified mask over a cloth mask as the latter may no longer provide enough protection against COVID-19.

The United States has reported a total of 58,446,019 COVID-19 cases and 833,952 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began, data provided by Johns Hopkins University showed. The nation logged in more than a million new cases Monday.