Daily coronavirus updates: Post-vaccination COVID-19 cases extremely rare, state data shows. Hospitalizations drop.

Of the more than 1.4 million people in Connecticut who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, less than 0.1% have later reported confirmed cases of the virus, according to state data.

The state Department of Public Health said in a Friday press release that there have been 242 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among people who were fully vaccinated. These “breakthrough” cases have been confirmed in 0.016% of vaccinated people — a sign that the vaccine is highly successful at preventing coronavirus spread.

The data provides strong evidence of the protection afforded by the coronavirus vaccines. The state’s acting commissioner of public health, Dr. Deidre Gifford, said that vaccination is the best way to prevent illness from COVID-19.

“The main takeaway is that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and cases of infection after a person is fully vaccinated are very rare,” Gifford said in a statement from the public health department.

Out of the 242 people who did contract the disease after vaccination, 32 people (13.2%) were hospitalized and three people (1.2%) have died, according to the release. The three people who died after vaccination had underlying health conditions and were aged 55 or older, the release said.

While the breakthrough data only includes people who received their final vaccine dose, it’s unclear if the breakthrough cases, hospitalizations and deaths include those who contracted the illness less than two weeks after their final dose — before they became fully protected.

Because the coronavirus vaccines — similar to other types of vaccines — are not 100% effective, public health and medical experts have said that some small number of breakthrough cases was to be expected.

As with COVID-19 cases before vaccines came on the scene, the number of confirmed breakthrough cases is likely lower than the number of actual cases. Some portion of people may have contracted the virus without realizing it, or without getting tested for it.

Nationwide, out of a total of more than 95 million fully vaccinated people, there have been 9,245 breakthrough cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means that less than 0.01% of fully vaccinated people in the U.S. have reported contracting the illness.

Out of the 9,245 people who contracted COVID-19 after vaccination, 835 people (9%) were hospitalized and 132 people (1.4%) died, according to CDC data.

Gifford said that Connecticut’s breakthrough cases — while rare — also serve as a reminder that other health measures remain important for as long as the virus is circulating in the state. She encouraged residents to continue washing their hands regularly, social distancing and wearing masks when indoors or in large crowds.

Hospitalizations drop again; weekly positivity back below 2%

Connecticut on Friday reported another significant drop in coronavirus hospitalizations, plus a daily positivity rate low enough to push the weekly average back below 2%.

The state reported a drop in hospitalizations by 15, for a total of 309 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s the lowest number the state has seen since Oct. 28.

At the same time, the state also reported a daily positivity rate of 1.4% — stemming from 436 newly identified cases out of 31,335 tests administered. And while the daily rate fluctuates fairly widely from one day to the next, the weekly rate offers a more stable view. Friday’s daily rate, in conjunction with relatively low rates in recent days, was enough to push the weekly positivity rate back to 1.9%.

While hospitalizations and the positivity rate improve, Connecticut continues to see a handful of coronavirus-linked deaths each day. The state reported six additional deaths on Friday.

Since the pandemic began, Connecticut has seen 342,718 coronavirus cases and 8,137 coronavirus-linked deaths. Nationwide, there have been more than 32.6 million coronavirus cases and a total of 580,776 coronavirus deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Emily Brindley can be reached at ebrindley@courant.com.