Priscilla Martinez had just finished eating a tuna sandwich at her desk at JBS USA’s corporate office in Greeley one day last week when a stark realization hit her: She had neither tasted nor smelled the typically pungent dish during the entire meal.
The 35-year-old is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, having received her second dose in March during an employee vaccination drive held by the company, which has been hit hard by COVID-19 outbreaks.
But now, five months after getting vaccinated, Martinez began developing mild symptoms of the virus — and on Sunday, she tested positive.
“I know I wasn’t immune to it so I wasn’t surprised when I got it,” said Martinez, who feared getting a severe case of COVID-19 because she has asthma. She added, “I feel like if I didn’t have the vaccine I would be really sick right now.”
As the virus’s delta variant became the predominant strain in Colorado this summer, the number of new infections among vaccinated people in the state has increased — raising concerns this version of the virus is breaking through the vaccines’ protection more often than previous strains.