breakthrough infections have been recorded

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GoodTaste

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Feb 19, 2016
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I always thought "breakthrough" tends to be positive - a good word to be used in positive conditions. So the phrase "breakthrough infections" gives me an uneasy feeling, wondering whether it is used properly.

Is the phrase natural in English?

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The BNT162b2 vaccine was effective against infection and disease in the population of Qatar, despite the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants being predominant within the country; however, vaccine effectiveness against the B.1.351 variant was approximately 20 percentage points lower than the effectiveness (>90%) reported in the clinical trial1 and in real-world conditions in Israel4 and the United States.5 In Qatar, as of March 31, breakthrough infections have been recorded in 6689 persons who had received one dose of the vaccine and in 1616 persons who had received two doses. Seven deaths from Covid-19 have been also recorded among vaccinated persons: five after the first dose and two after the second dose. Nevertheless, the reduced protection against infection with the B.1.351 variant did not seem to translate into poor protection against the most severe forms of infection (i.e., those resulting in hospitalization or death), which was robust, at greater than 90%.

Source: NEJM
 
It's natural in this technical context.
 
The idea behind the term is that the disease germ has managed to break through the protection afforded by the vaccine.
 
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