Why even vaccinated people are getting ‘breakthrough’ infections “Seat belts reduce risk, but we still need to drive carefully.” A nurse administers COVID vaccines from a van in the Bronx, July 20, 2021. Breakthrough COVID infections in vaccinated people are still relatively uncommon, experts say, and those that cause serious illness, hospitalization or death even more so. (James Estrin/The New York Times).. By Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times Service July 22, 2021 | 6:12 PM Email A wedding in Oklahoma leads to 15 vaccinated guests becoming infected with the coronavirus. Raucous Fourth of July celebrations disperse the virus from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to dozens of places across the country, sometimes carried by fully vaccinated celebrants.