Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Cause Significantly Increased Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases in Houston, Texas

Genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have repeatedly altered the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Delta variants are now the focus of intense international attention because they are causing widespread COVID-19 globally and are associated with vaccine breakthrough cases. We sequenced 16,965 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from samples acquired March 15, 2021, through September 20, 2021, in the Houston Methodist hospital system. This sample represents 91% of all Methodist system COVID-19 patients during the study period. Delta variants increased rapidly from late April onward to cause 99.9% of all COVID-19 cases and spread throughout the Houston metroplex. Compared with all other variants combined, Delta caused a significantly higher rate of vaccine breakthrough cases (23.7% for Delta compared with 6.6% for all other variants combined). Importantly, significantly fewer fully vaccinated individuals required hospitalization. Vaccine breakthrough cases caused by Delta had a low median PCR cycle threshold value (a proxy for high virus load). This value was similar to the median cycle threshold value for unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 caused by Delta variants, suggesting that fully vaccinated individuals can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. Patients infected with Alpha and Delta variants had several significant differences. The integrated analysis indicates that vaccines used in the United States are highly effective in decreasing severe COVID-19, hospitalizations, and deaths.