Vaccinated Los Angeles doctor diagnosed with COVID-19, warns about breakthrough cases: report

LOS ANGELES– Dr. Eugene Choi, a Los Angeles-based radiologist, said in an interview published Saturday that he came down with COVID-19 despite receiving the vaccine about six months ago.

Fox 11 reported that Choi is in quarantine fighting the virus. The report pointed out that his wife—who was also vaccinated—was also diagnosed with the disease.

“Even when I think about it today, it’s crazy,” he told the station. “I can’t believe I have COVID.”

He said that he was surprised when he was diagnosed, but when he learned that his wife was also diagnosed, he realized it was not a fluke. He still insists people should be vaccinated. 

A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Pfizer and Moderna are about 90% effective against infection once two weeks after the last dose have passed. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 72% effective against moderate to severe disease, according to U.S. trials.

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Breakthrough cases are sometimes identified through mandatory testing before surgery or to go back to work, not because vaccinated people are showing symptoms.

The Fox 11 report said at least 933 people in Los Angeles County, who have been vaccinated, have reported breakthrough cases. 

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“I think about had I not gotten the vaccine, how much worse my symptoms would have been,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report