WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Months of data from across the north country have made it clear people can still catch COVID-19 even with the vaccine. We met a Jefferson County woman to put a face to those numbers.
Mary Ann Klingler was sick for four days last month.
“Thought maybe I had an upper respiratory infection,” she said.
So, she decided to get checked out.
“They said, ‘Do you want to get tested for COVID?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ And the next morning, they told me it was positive,” said Klinger.
Not exactly what she was expecting since she has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for months.
“They were March and April. I had the Moderna,” she said.
Samaritan Medical Center’s lead COVID physician, Dr. Asim Kichloo, says Klingler’s experience is not unheard of; the shot isn’t fool-proof.
“It doesn’t mean you won’t get the virus and you can’t be a carrier of that disease,” he said.
Statistics released by Jefferson County for October show 32 fully vaccinated people were in and out of the hospital. That’s out of 86 folks in total.
And in St. Lawrence County, SUNY Canton is seeing an uptick in COVID cases – enough to postpone Tuesday’s men’s and women’s basketball games.
Almost all SUNY students have to have a shot under a state mandate.
A SUNY Canton spokesperson says the school is confident the spike will be limited.
While there is still a risk of catching COVID after being fully vaccinated, Dr. Kichloo says the shot is still worth it.
“If you get COVID vaccine, the chances of you getting a severe COVID disease is extremely less,” he said.
He adds that more people getting the shot will also help slow any spread of the virus. Klingler urges anyone who can to get the shot.
“You’re going to get a lot less symptoms and deaths and hospitalizations,” he said.
And even thought the vaccine didn’t make her invincible, Klingler says she’s getting the booster shot whenever she can.
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