Doctor: Vaccinated people can still test positive for COVID, not likely to get as sick

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - A local healthcare center is reminding people that getting your COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t make you immune to contracting the virus.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to panic, but I do want to remind people that even though you have the vaccine - it doesn’t mean that you’re completely invulnerable,” explained Terri Jordan, physician’s assistant.

Jordan says it’s not unusual for someone to still get the virus after getting vaccinated. “We found a more, a larger percent of people that were positive after that wait period for the Johnson & Johnson.”

Of her 43 patients who tested positive for COVID, eight still got COVID even after getting vaccinated. Two received the Pfizer vaccine, two opted for the Moderna vaccine, and four got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“I’m a caregiver and I just want to make myself protected,” said Estelle Glover, Hamilton resident.

The news isn’t all bad. Dr. Joseph Kaplan says vaccinated patients who have tested positive for COVID didn’t get severely sick. “Although the patient was positive, they really weren’t very sick - a little bit of sore throat, a little bit of body aches, very similar to the flu vaccine.”

And for anyone who is still hesitant about getting the vaccine, Dr. Kaplan says the side effects are minimal. “The percentage of people getting side effects are extremely small and the percentage of lives saved are extremely large.”

The CDC says even if you’ve had COVID, you should still get vaccinated because experts don’t know how long you’re protected from getting sick again after recovering from the virus.