Barack Obama has just revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The former U.S. President took to Twitter to confirm the infection but reassured people that he was holding up okay. “I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative,” he said on Twitter.
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When Obama, who turned 60 last August, announced he had tested positive, he took the opportunity to remind people of the importance of getting fully vaccinated. “It’s a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, even as cases go down,” he said.
In the U.S., there is currently a seven-day moving average of around 34,000 new reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (The seven-day moving average is calculated by adding up the number of newly reported cases over a week, then dividing it by seven.) Cases have dropped significantly since even mid-January, when the seven-day moving average surpassed 800,000. More than 216 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated, which equals about 65.3% of the population, per the CDC, although only 44% of those who are fully vaccinated have gotten boosted.
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As Obama has been fully vaccinated, his infection can be considered a breakthrough case of COVID-19. According to the CDC, a breakthrough infection is when a fully-vaccinated person gets COVID-19. Even though breakthrough cases are possible, most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the symptoms of a breakthrough infection are typically the same as can be expected with typical COVID-19 cases, but milder. (This is a testament to the power of vaccines!) These symptoms can include a new and continuous cough, a high temperature, a loss of or shift in your sense of smell, and, as Obama experienced, a sore throat. However, many breakthrough cases also tend to be asymptomatic.
Breakthrough infections are inevitable, as is the case with other vaccines. No form of medicine is perfect. But even if you do get COVID-19, you are less likely to become seriously ill if you are fully vaccinated and boosted, says the CDC. So if you haven’t already, now is the time to get up-to-date on your COVID vax status. And if you know of someone close to you who is hesitant about getting vaccinated, here are some tips for talking to them, if you need that advice.
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Source: SELF
