Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately?

By LAURA UNGAR
AP Science Writer

Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately? A couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn’t make them very sick. And its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places. People sometimes mistakenly think the COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but experts say the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness. The vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who’ve gotten boosters. But breakthrough infections appear more likely with omicron.