Country music star Reba McEntire revealed to fans that she and her fiancé Rex Linn have what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) terms “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections, meaning the pair have been fully vaccinated but were still infected with the virus.
“I just want to say one thing: this has been a hard year and it’s getting rougher again,” the singer posted to social media, according to Fox News. “You guys, please stay safe. Wear your mask. Do what you have to do. Stay home.”
“It’s not fun to get this. I did get it. Rex and I got it and it’s not fun. You don’t feel good,” McEntire continued. “We were both vaccinated and we still got it, so stay safe, stay home, and be protected the best you can.”
According to PBS, “Most epidemiologists agree that a breakthrough case occurs when a person who has been fully vaccinated becomes infected with the coronavirus. That infection could manifest as anything from asymptomatic, to mild symptoms, to severe symptoms that result in hospitalization or even death.” Medical experts say the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths are in the unvaccinated. The CDC, for example, has earlier in the pandemic pegged the unvaccinated population as compromising more than 99% of all COVID-19 deaths, according to Business Insider.
PBS, on Monday, offered more detail on “breakthrough” COVID-19 cases:
As of July 30, 469,873 Delaware residents had been fully vaccinated. Of those, there have been 567 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 — or about 0.1% of vaccinated individuals. Twenty-two of the reported breakthrough cases resulted in hospitalizations, and eight people died, though a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Social Services said that does not mean COVID-19 was the cause of death.
In New Jersey, more than 4.9 million residents had been fully vaccinated by July 19. Among those individuals, there have been 6,381 breakthrough infections — or 0.13%. Only about half of those people experienced symptoms. Only 0.004% of them required hospitalization, and 50 people, or 0.001%, have died, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the state is working with the CDC to perform data-matching to identify breakthrough cases. Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said in a press conference last week that the majority of hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated.
McEntire said she’s currently reevaluating her touring schedule in light of her infection post-vaccine.
“I have no idea what plans for next year are,” she said. “You know, the COVID thing has really hit hard and spikes are going everywhere right now … and it’s all over the country — this new variant.”
“We have plans right now to go back on tour in January, February and March,” McEntire continued. “We have plans with being with Brooks & Dunn at Caesars in December — the first two weeks, almost three weeks of December — but we don’t know if that’s going to go.”
McEntire has repeatedly said that she does not wish to address politics, but instead helps lighten burdens through music. This summer, for example, the “Fancy” singer publicly rebuffed reports that she attended a political event.
“Last night, an invitation to a political fundraiser with my name attached was sent out without my knowledge or permission,” McEntire posted to Twitter on June 11. “I had and have no plans to attend this event and had told the event organizers as such.”
“Throughout my career, I have stated that I do not get involved in politics and that remains true today,” she added.
Throughout my career, I have stated that I do not get involved in politics and that remains true today.
— Reba (@reba) June 11, 2021