Amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases—driven by the Delta variant—concerns about vaccine breakthrough infections have grown. Breakthroughs are expected—no vaccine offers perfect protection, and vulnerable groups like immunocompromised individuals may still be at risk. As vaccination rates climb, the absolute number of breakthrough cases naturally rises, even though the risk for each vaccinated person stays far lower. Current vaccines continue to provide strong protection, especially against hospitalization and death. In fact, fully vaccinated people experience dramatically reduced odds of severe outcomes—roughly eight-fold lower infection risk and about twenty-five-fold lower hospitalization and mortality rates. The pattern across states is consistent: the vast majority of severe cases occur in those who remain unvaccinated.