Just three out of 1.8 million fully vaccinated people in Michigan died after contracting COVID-19 and only 246 people caught the virus after getting shots

 At least 246 people in Michigan who were fully immunized against COVID-19, tested positive for the virus, have tested positive for coronavirus and three have died. 

No identifying information was available for the three people who died except that they were aged 65 or older. 

This makes Michigan among the first states to report 'breakthrough cases,' which occur when people test positive for the virus at least 14 days after receiving their final dose of the vaccine.

All the vaccines approved for emergency use authorizations - Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson - are between 72 and 95 percent effective.

This means between five and 28 percent of people get vaccinated may still get sick, which officials say is serious but not surprising.

They say it also underscores the fact that masks and other public health measures are needed until enough of the population is vaccined to reach herd immunity.  

So far, about 2.95 million residents, about 36.5 percent of the state's population, have received at least one dose and 1.8 million Michiganders are fully vaccinated.  

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At least 246 people in Michigan, who were fully immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine, have tested positive for coronavirus and three have died. Pictured: A healthcare worker administers the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Benton Harbor Michigan, March 9

So far, about 2.95 million residents have received at least one dose and 1.8 million Michiganders are fully vaccinated (above)

'While it is significantly less likely, it is still possible to contract the virus after being vaccinated,' Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told The Destroit New.

'Studies indicate that even if vaccinated people do become ill, they are far less likely to experience severe illness requiring hospitalization or resulting in death. 

Sutfin said the cases were reported between January 1 and March 31.

'Some of these individuals may ultimately be excluded from this list due to continuing to test positive from a recent infection prior to being fully vaccinated,' she said.

'These cases are undergoing further review to determine if they meet other CDC criteria for determination of potential breakthrough, including the absence of a positive antigen or PCR test less than 45 days prior to the post-vaccination positive test. 

'In general, these persons have been more likely to be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic compared with vaccinated persons.'

According to the department, 11 people of the 246 breakthrough cases tested positive.

Sutfin says all three people who died were were 65 years or older and two of three had had their final dose within three weeks of their death. 

'While the majority of the population develops full immunity within 14 days of completion of their vaccine series, a small proportion appear to take longer to mount a full antibody response,' she said.

'CDC is actively working to better understand the risk characteristics of this group

The news comes as Michigan reported a record number of coronavirus cases.

Officials recorded 11,082 COVID-19 cases, which surpasses the previous daily high k of 10,140 hit on November 20 and bringing the total case load to 779,974.

This makes The Great Lake State the only state to report more than 7,000 new infections on Monday. 

In addition, the seven-day rolling average has sky-rocketed from about 1,800 new infections per day to over 6,700 cases a day.

Last week, Whitmer announced she was doubling the state's vaccination goal from administering 50,000 shots every to 100,000 per day.  

An average of about three million adults are being vaccinated every day, with single-day totals reaching four million over the weekend.

It comes as President Joe Biden is set to announce Tuesday that he is updating the deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines to April 19, two weeks earlier than the original May 1 deadline.

'We are still very much in this pandemic, but we've learned a tremendous amount about how to protect ourselves and our loved ones,' Sutfin said, according to the Detroit Free Press. 

'That's why every Michigander has a personal responsibility to do their part by wearing a mask, washing hands, and maintaining social distancing to help us slow the spread of this virus.