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In reply to the discussion: CDC study shows three-fourths of people infected in Massachusetts covid-19 outbreak were vaccinated [View all]BumRushDaShow
(130,948 posts)The Ct value is inversely proportional to the viral load that gets picked up by a test, so that it is basically -
Ct ~1/NDU/ml
So because of the wide ranges of detectability by the various test systems (although presumbably the WI study use the same model testing equipment), it's better to use a correlation vs raw numbers in order to do a relative comparison across the board.
I.e., the lower the Ct value (number of cycles to achieve a positive), the higher the load the test is picking up (because it didn't have to be "amplified" as much since is was already at a higher concentration upon sampling).
That scatter plot on the slide in that post that has the "vaccinated" data in yellow, is actually showing that although the number of "vaccinated" yellow data points are not at the same amount as the "unvaccinated" gray data points, it is still not only "non-zero", but actually at a somewhat significant amount nevertheless - including in the "high load" category, despite being vaccinated.
An example would be what happened with this guy today - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142779004
The unfortunate circumstance that we have is that the messaging seemed to have become "whisper-down-the-lane" distorted into the vaccine being a "shield" to having any infection, and that was always ridiculous. But with the earlier variants, the data was generally showing that vaccination did in fact provide a major reduction of viral load too, so break-throughs WERE "rare".
But with Delta, because of its configuration and replication mechanism, it can reproduce faster AND in a shorter time than the previous circulating variants. And that behavior is apparently allowing it to really load up anyone exposed to it, basically ravaging through the unvaccinated, but also initially overwhelming the vaccinated, but eventually succumbing to the body's immune system that was already primed and ready to go due to the vaccine. Whereas the unvaccinated would have to have their bodies "learn" how to fight it from scratch, and that would take way more time than what might have occurred had they been vaccinated.