Misleading: Vaccinated people are super-spreaders of COVID-19.

By: Ishita Goel
April 28 2021

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Though people vaccinated could transmit, the infection would not be severe, and studies on the impact of vaccines on transmission are ongoing. The COVID-19 vaccination drive has begun in several countries around the world. Following this, various anti-vax messages are viral on social media questioning the vaccine's efficacy and effectiveness, side effects, and its variants. One such contention made is that vaccinated people are super-spreaders of COVID-19. However, this is misleading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a science brief on April 2, 2021, clarified that the COVID-19 infection risks are not eliminated in fully vaccinated people since there is ongoing community transmission and vaccinated people "could potentially still get COVID-19 and spread it to others." According to the CDC, some evidence shows that authorized COVID-19 vaccines have proved productive and effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and even reduces the severity. Data are coming up to support the reduction in transmission of asymptomatic infection. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), vaccines prevent virus infection and sickness, although it is possible to spread it to others. It is vital to continue to take all of the recommended steps to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from spreading. The vaccine takes up few weeks to build immunity in one body, according to GOV.UK. Despite getting vaccinated, one can get reinfected, but the infection will be less severe. Speaking to Logically, Dr. Suruchi Shukla, a professor of Microbiology at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, said, "It is possible for someone to test positive even after the second dose of the vaccine." If a fully vaccinated person comes in contact with the infection, they are likely to face only minor symptoms. As per Healthline, studies are ongoing to measuring the "viral load" (concentration of coronavirus particles) among those who are vaccinated to check the infectiousness. Further studies are required to determine whether vaccines prevent transmission. Healthline also cited Dr. Anthony Fauci's saying, "The degree of transmission from vaccinated individuals will be determined by the infection rate in the close contacts." Dr, Fauci hopes that in the next five months or so, there might be clarity on whether vaccinated people get infected asymptomatically and, if they do, do they transmit the infection. Although there is a possibility of vaccinated people transmitted the virus to others, it is misleading to call them super-spreaders. With adequate precautions such as maintaining social distancing and wearing protective masks, the risk and rate of such transmission can be reduced. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.