{"id":41242,"date":"2021-08-26T15:11:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T21:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=41242"},"modified":"2025-01-15T08:41:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T15:41:53","slug":"breakthrough-covid-19-cases-symptoms-and-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/breakthrough-covid-19-cases-symptoms-and-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakthrough symptoms of COVID-19: How will you know if you\u2019ve got a breakthrough infection?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Breakthrough
Breakthrough symptoms of COVID-19 can be milder than symptoms unvaccinated people experience. You might only have a headache. Experts say: “Get tested.” Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Breakthrough cases of COVID-19 are rare, but on the rise<\/a> as the highly transmissible delta variant causes a dramatic increase in positive cases of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re fully vaccinated and feeling a little sick, how will you know if you have a breakthrough case of COVID-19?<\/p>\n

It can be tricky because symptoms in breakthrough COVID-19 cases can be different from symptoms of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. Breakthrough COVID-19 symptoms can be milder.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible to have a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and to be asymptomatic or, in other words, to have no breakthrough symptoms at all. So, what should you do if you\u2019ve got the sniffles, body aches, a cough or what feels like a stomach bug?<\/p>\n

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Michelle Barron is the\u00a0senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth<\/a> and one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado<\/a>. She encourages people who are feeling sick to consider whether any of their symptoms are typical for them. For instance, do you typically get headaches or seasonal allergies? If not, consider COVID-19 as a possible culprit for your symptoms.<\/p>\n

And, if you have any doubts about whether you might have breakthrough symptoms of COVID-19, get tested.<\/a><\/p>\n

Recently, a friend of Barron\u2019s, who has already had COVID-19 and is fully vaccinated, complained of a severe headache.<\/p>\n

Barron grilled her friend, who was reluctant to bother getting a COVID-19 test.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was going through the list of symptoms and said, \u2018It\u2019s only a headache. I don’t have a runny nose. I don’t have a sore throat. I still have taste and smell. I can eat fine.\u2019\u201d Barron recalled. \u201cShe had no respiratory symptoms, nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Barron noticed that her friend\u2019s key symptom was unusual for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t normally get headaches,\u201d Barron said. \u201cStop talking to me and go get your test.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barron\u2019s friend has an underlying health condition that makes her more vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19, and she\u2019s a health care provider, so she\u2019s especially cognizant of not wanting to expose patients to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

So, the friend got her COVID-19 test. And Barron\u2019s hunch was right. The test confirmed a breakthrough COVID-19 case. She\u2019s now quarantining at home and recovering.<\/p>\n

So, if you feel sick, Barron urges you to consider whether you might have breakthrough symptoms of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you normally don\u2019t have allergy symptoms and suddenly you do, you might have COVID-19, especially if you\u2019ve been vaccinated. You could have a breakthrough infection,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

If you have any doubts, isolate yourself from other people and strongly consider getting a COVID-19 test.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have plenty of tests now. The threshold for getting tested should be low. Even if you\u2019re fully vaccinated, consider getting tested if you\u2019re having any symptoms,\u201d said Barron, who is also a professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet tested. You could have a cold and be just fine, but it also could be COVID-19 and there are implications for that,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

Barron, herself, has gotten tested for COVID-19 recently. She has seasonal allergies and that\u2019s typical for her. But, the sniffling and sneezing has been horrible lately. So, just to be on the safe side \u2014 and to protect her vulnerable patients \u2014 she got tested and thankfully, does not have COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be sure. I don\u2019t want to just say I have allergies and take the risk of exposing my patients,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

Barron also wants people to know that COVID-19 vaccines are extremely safe, provide excellent protection and are working well. While breakthrough COVID-19 cases are increasing, they are still minimal compared to rates of infections in unvaccinated individuals. The vaccines are doing their jobs and are preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death for almost everyone.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what health experts know about breakthrough symptoms of COVID-19, breakthrough cases and when you should seek medical attention if you think you might have COVID-19.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What are the common symptoms of COVID-19?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to health experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following symptoms are most common:<\/a><\/p>\n