Multnomah County sees rising number of 'breakthrough' COVID-19 cases
PORTLAND, Ore. — Naomi Pomeroy is the chef at Expatriate in Portland. Two weekends ago, she visited friends in Los Angeles.
Feeling sick on the way home, Pomeroy got tested. A few days later the chef learned she was positive for COVID-19.
This comes after getting two doses of the Pfizer vaccine this spring.
"I don’t know how I got it. I won’t know if it was the plane, if it was the restaurant, if it was any of those things. But at the end of the day, I think it’s time to wear masks and probably tighten your social circle," Pomeroy said.
Last week, Oregon found 80% of all cases are from the Delta variant.
Multnomah County's deputy health officer, Dr. Ann Loeffler, expects that number will continue to rise.
"We are definitely seeing breakthrough cases and that is totally to be expected because all of our cases are up and we know that breakthrough cases are now much more common given that we have so much Delta variant," Loeffler said.
Loeffler said experts are continuing to learn more about breakthrough cases also being contagious.
"The good news is that even though the breakthrough cases are becoming more common really, really still vaccines are very effective at preventing the most severe disease; the cases that can hospitalize, and the cases that die," she said.
Pomeroy said she's grateful to be vaccinated. Despite flu-like symptoms, the chef tells KATU her case could be much worse.
"Look at me; here I am. I’m in my living room, I’m not hooked up to a machine. I’m feeling way better than I felt the last couple days. This is my fifth day of being sick and I can say I can definitely see the end," Pomeroy said.
The health officer does recommend for anyone with symptoms to get a test. Pomeroy said for her family, the testing process was quick and efficient.