A friend of mine in Florida got vaccinated three months ago. He has been battling COVID-19 for more than a week now. He describes it as a “very bad cold.” A colleague of mine has also been fully vaccinated for more than six months. She has been battling COVID-19, as well, going to Urgent Care twice. Thank God, both have not needed the hospital.

Am I panicking? Not really.

Some people getting COVID despite being vaccinated, a so called “breakthrough infection,” is to be expected. Ever since the original clinical trials, the efficacy of the vaccine was never 100%. Clinicians – like me – and public health experts have not said that a vaccine is a guarantee against getting COVID. No vaccine is a guarantee against getting sick.

Heck, I have gotten the flu numerous times despite getting vaccinated against the flu. Sure, it was miserable, but I was never sick enough to go the hospital. Thank God, I was never sick enough to get serious complications. And that is the point with the COVID vaccines.

The data seem to show that, for the vast majority of people who get vaccinated against COVID, they will neither get infected with the virus nor get sick. There are some who will get infected, but have no symptoms. And, sadly, there are others who will get infected and become symptomatic. But, those who get the vaccine will not get sick enough to die. The data on this is quite clear and clearly convincing.

All across the United States, the vast majority – well over 90-95% – of deaths from COVID have been in the unvaccinated. It is being called a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” And given that very safe and very effective COVID vaccines are freely and widely available, every death from COVID now is even more senseless than it was before the vaccines.

And this is why it is so very important to continue the vaccination effort all across our country and our world. Chances are very good, if not great, that the vaccine will prevent you from getting COVID at all. At the very least, the vaccine will prevent you from getting so sick enough that you will die. And that’s the most important thing, right, because COVID – much more than the flu – can kill you. I have seen it personally, and it is absolutely horrific.

So, is it unfortunate that some people who have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated end up getting COVID? Of course. I would be lying to you if I said these cases of breakthrough infections don’t worry me (I’ve been vaccinated now for more than 6 months). At the same time, I am not panicking at all, like I said before.

And, I am passionately recommending everyone who has not gotten vaccinated yet to get vaccinated. The vaccines are very safe. They are very effective. And they are our best shot at finally being free of the scourge of this virus.