Fully Vaccinated Ohio Man Hospitalized With COVID-19, Suffers Drastic Symptoms

KEY POINTS

A fully vaccinated man from Ohio was diagnosed with COVID-19 and developed severe symptoms
The man said he believes it is still too early to lift COVID-19 restrictions in Ohio
Breakthrough cases, although rare, can still occur and are not surprising, according to doctors

An essential worker from Mayfield Heights, Ohio, is suffering severe symptoms of COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.

When Brendon Hrepic was diagnosed with COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, he was shocked. The 31-year-old said he has been strictly observing safety protocol since the beginning of the pandemic -- including social distancing and wearing face masks.

“The doctor that I saw at the ER was like ‘you are literally the worse case that I’ve ever seen post-vaccination,’” Hrepic told News 5 Cleveland via Zoom from his hospital bed.

Based on the vaccination card Hrepic shared with the news outlet, he has been fully vaccinated since April 19. Last Wednesday, however, his health suddenly began to deteriorate.

“I had this recurring cough, I couldn't smell or taste anything. I was thinking it was pretty unrealistic because I’m already vaccinated,” said Hrepic during the interview. “To be safe, I went to CVS and got a rapid test there and it came back positive.”

Shortly after testing positive for COVID-19, Hrepic said his symptoms worsened, resulting in him getting hospitalized. According to the patient, it is still unclear how he contracted the virus.

Dr. Claudia Hoyen from University Hospitals explained that cases such as that of Hrepic are called "breakthrough cases," defined as instances where a fully vaccinated individual still ends up getting the virus. Breakthrough cases, although rare, are not surprising, according to the doctor.

“Even if you’ve had two vaccines, you may be one of those five in 100 people who didn’t respond to it,” said Hoyen.

As the state of Ohio prepares to ease its restrictions, Hoyen urged the public to continue taking necessary measures and observe caution, especially for those who haven't received even one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“We can’t go around wearing a sign saying what medical conditions we have or that my vaccines work 95%,” said Hoyen. “So it’s going to be important moving forward that we all respect each other.”

However, Hrepic said that he believes it is still too early to ease coronavirus health orders across the state.

“I think that might be a little premature,” said Hrepic.

More than 125 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country as of Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Nearly 160 million have received at least one dose.