As the Delta variant becomes more prominent - being the cause of now 80% of new COVID-19 cases in the nation - there's a growing concern among those who've been vaccinated and their chances of getting the virus.
According to the Department of Public Health, there are 854 breakthrough cases currently in the state of Connecticut. Of that number, only 150 have been hospitalized but doctors say that the majority of those with COVID-19 are those that are unvaccinated.
In downtown Hartford, we spoke to people that have been vaccinated but they say there’s still a bit of concern so they remain vigilant.
"Just in circumstances where there’s a lot of people involved or healthcare environment," Tolland resident Daniel Wingate said.
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Hartford resident Linda Seabrook-Scott feels the same way.
"I feel somewhat protected but it’s still in a way that you have to be extra careful because they’re saying you can get it if you had the shot or not but I feel more protected now than I did before I had it," she said.
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The message from the medical community is that you're more protected if you have the vaccine, but what do you still need to know?
"People who have COVID-19 and have been vaccinated could still potentially transmit so should still take the necessary precautions although it is less likely," Dr. Jessica Avrantes-Figueiredo, chief of infectious disease at St. Francis Hospital, said.
"The masking is still important, although we can unmask outside when we’re away from people being conscientiousness of where we are. So if we are in an indoor setting and you’re with a lot of people that you may or may not know, then you don’t know if they’ve been vaccinated," she continued.
Medical experts say for those who aren’t vaccinated they don’t have that extra layer of protection but even for those who do, it’s important to stay vigilant due to long lasting affects.
"People can have symptoms on going from whether it be respiratory symptoms coughs shortness of breath generalize weakness or even neurological symptoms" Avrantes-Figueiredo said.
At a press conference, Governor Ned Lamont urged young people to take the pandemic seriously.
"If I can get those 12 to 30 year olds vaccinated at the same rate as their grandparents my age, you know, at 90%, we’re done," he said.
"The people who we're seeing getting infected, the people who we are seeing hospitalized, the vast majority if not almost all are unvaccinated. Until we have everybody vaccinated we still have to be careful," Avrantes-Figueiredo said.
