Despite getting fully vaccinated from the virus, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" actress Melissa Joan Hart is down with breakthrough COVID-19. The mother of three said that she might have caught the disease from one of her kids, who have returned to in-person classes in school.
In a post on Instagram, Hart said that she has difficulty breathing because of COVID-19, but she is praying that other family members are alright. Hart implied that one of her teenage boys is sick, but she hopes that no one else catches it in her family as she will not be able to go with them if they need to be hospitalized.
The actress also said she feels "really mad" that her children weren't mandated to wear a face mask in school. However, she told her followers that she's not expressing a political opinion, but she's venting as a mother who cannot protect her family.
Youngest Likes to Wear Face Mask
Hart and her husband, Mark Wilkerson, have three boys -- Tucker, 8, Braydon, 13, and Mason, 15. The actress said that her 8-year-old is not the one who's sick or infectious as he has chosen to wear a mask every day at school.
"If he does get it, I can at least tell him he was a superhero to those in his classroom because he protected his teacher and his classmates from it," the actress said.
She did not indicate if her two older sons have been vaccinated. In the U.S., anyone above 12 years old may be eligible for vaccination.
The actress further said that she's disappointed "in myself and some of our leaders" and asked her followers "to do better" at protecting themselves, their kids, and their families. She also reminded the public that the pandemic is "not over yet."
What is Breakthrough COVID?
Breakthrough COVID happens when someone fully vaccinated still contracts the virus as vaccines are not 100 percent effective against transmissions. However, most breakthrough COVID cases are likely to manifest asymptomatic or mild symptoms compared to infections among the unvaccinated.
Vaccinated people are also unlikely to die from COVID-19. In the cases surging in the U.S. around the globe, about 98 to 99 percent of deaths are unvaccinated individuals. While vaccination has led to a dip in cases since the summer, the Delta variant transmissions have completely changed the outcomes in states with the lowest vaccination rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that only a small number of fully vaccinated individuals are getting breakthrough COVID despite the Delta variant. However, they can still be infectious and pass on the virus to other people, especially if they do not wear masks. It is why the CDC and various medical groups have called on the public to keep wearing a mask if they are among groups of people, whether they are vaccinated or not, to minimize the risks of transmissions.
Some states, however, have barred schools from implementing a face mask mandate as it infringes on the people's rights. Other leaders said that it's a personal choice, and parents may still let their kids mask up in school if that's their preference.
