In Our View: COVID inoculations work; unvaccinated at risk The Columbian Share: Six months after the first COVID-19 vaccines were distributed in Washington, the effectiveness of the shots is obvious. Clark County Public Health reports that, as of May 25, officials had identified 124 “breakthrough” cases. That means that out of nearly 180,000 Clark County residents who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, roughly 1 in 1,400 has contracted the disease. Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, Clark County has confirmed about 24,000 cases of COVID-19 — one for every 20 people. Those infections have contributed to 277 deaths. Because state-run databases for case data and vaccination data are not linked, officials cannot be certain about how many fully vaccinated people have contracted the disease. “The only way we’re able to identify cases among people who are fully vaccinated is through our interviews with people who test positive,” Marissa Armstrong of Clark County Public Health said. “If someone cannot be reached or declines to interview with us, we don’t have their information and do not know if they’ve been vaccinated.”