Yes. A person who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 can still become infected and become sick, but vaccination changes the risk and usually makes serious illness less likely.
Why can vaccinated people still get COVID-19?
COVID-19 vaccines are not a 100% guarantee against infection. The virus can enter the body and multiply even in someone who has been vaccinated. Protection can also decrease with time, and new variants can partially evade immunity.
Vaccines are particularly valuable because the immune system has already been trained to recognize the virus. If infection occurs, the immune response can often control it more quickly.
What can illness look like?
A vaccinated person with COVID-19 may have:
- Sore throat
- Runny or blocked nose
- Cough
- Fever or chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Loss or change of taste or smell
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Occasionally, shortness of breath
Some vaccinated people have very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Does vaccination prevent severe COVID-19?
This is one of its most important benefits. Vaccination substantially reduces the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, although protection is not absolute. The level of protection varies with factors such as age, underlying health conditions, previous infection, the vaccine received, time since vaccination, and the circulating variant.
Can vaccinated people spread COVID-19?
Yes. If a vaccinated person becomes infected, they can transmit the virus to other people. Vaccination can reduce the likelihood and duration of infectiousness, but it does not eliminate transmission.
An important distinction
Being vaccinated and becoming sick are not contradictory. A vaccine’s purpose is not necessarily to prevent every infection. For COVID-19, a major goal is to reduce the chance that an infection becomes dangerous.
For example:
Vaccinated + infected → possible mild/moderate illness, with a lower risk of severe disease.
Unvaccinated + infected → generally higher risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
If you’re asking because someone vaccinated against COVID-19 is currently sick, tell me their age, symptoms, temperature, how long they’ve been sick, and when their last COVID vaccine was, and I can explain what the symptoms might mean and when medical attention is needed.
