An expert tells WDSU the vaccine is effective at preventing more serious symptoms in the lower respiratory tract.

An expert tells WDSU the vaccine is effective at preventing more serious symptoms in the lower respiratory tract.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, well under 1% of vaccinated Louisianainas have contracted COVID-19, but the number of breakthrough infections — the term for when vaccinated people catch the virus — has gone up this month along with the overall case count.

Through July 21 in Louisiana, there was a total of 4,737 breakthrough infections, according to the latest data from the Louisiana Department of Health.

Jay Kolls of Tulane University School of Medicine said breakthrough infections tend to impact the upper respiratory tract, but the antibodies the COVID-19 vaccines provide "are very good at penetrating the lower respiratory tract, the lower part of the lung, where pneumonia occurs.".

"I'm lucky that I was vaccinated because I know people that have gotten sick, and their cases were a lot worse than mine," Monnet said.

"The major driver of mortality is patients with lower respiratory tract disease that develop what we call a RDS: acute respiratory distress syndrome," Kolls said.

Data released Wednesday by the Department of Health also show that as of July 21 a total of 261 vaccinated people were hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, and 53 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana died with COVID-19