‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro reveals breakthrough COVID-19 diagnosis

by Jenna Romaine - 09/27/21 10:28 AM ET

“Dancing with the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke has tested positive for COVID-19 in a breakthrough case.

Burke, who is competing alongside her partner, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, made the revelation in an Instagram video on Sunday.

“The PCR test came back, and it came back positive,” Burke said. “I feel so bad for Cody. I feel like I’m letting him down. I just feel like shit, to be quite honest. And it’s so overwhelming because it’s Sunday, and the show’s tomorrow.”

“I figured I should let you guys know since I’ve been as open and as real and vulnerable as I could be here,” Burke added. “I just hope I didn’t spread it. For those of you who don’t think COVID is a real thing, it’s f—ing real, dude. So I have to quarantine for 10 days and I’ve been ordered to stay home. … I’ll be in bed. I can’t believe this happened.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), instances of breakthrough cases, though rare, do occur because even with a high-efficacy rate, no vaccine is 100 percent effective.

An exact figure for the number of breakthrough cases isn’t available as the CDC only records breakthrough cases that lead to hospitalization or death. As of Sept. 20, the CDC reported 14,643 breakthrough cases that led to hospitalizations and 4,493 that resulted in death.

More than 181 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.The CDC has found that unvaccinated individuals are five times more likely to contract the coronavirus and 11 times more likely to die from it than those who are fully vaccinated.

Tags Cheryl Burke Coronavirus COVID-19 Dancing with the Stars