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Dr. Fauci is disseminating some of the first evidence that vaccines can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Two new studies suggest that vaccinated people do not transmit coronavirus well, even when they become ill.
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Being vaccinated, said Fauci, “is not only good for you,” but it can also protect others.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci says there is new evidence that a COVID-19 vaccine can not only protect people who get it, but also others with whom they come into contact.
“Some studies are pointing in a very favorable direction,” said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Wednesday, during a COVID-19 meeting at the White House.
While he said more conclusive research is still needed, the doctor pointed to two studies this month.
Together, they are some of the first evidence we have that even if vaccinated people become ill with COVID-19 – what is called a “discovered” infection – the chances of transmitting their disease to others are much less than if they remained unvaccinated.
The number one “imminent question,” said Fauci, is, “Does the vaccine prevent transmission?”
These two studies are the first signs that point to a “yes”.
Not everyone who receives COVID-19 transmits it, whether vaccinated or not
The first evidence, a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet earlier this month, suggests that people infected with COVID-19, but with lower viral loads on the back of the nose and throat, are much less likely to infect others people.
In the study, conducted in Spain during March and April, scientists measured the amount of virus that 314 patients with coronavirus had during their infections, rubbing their nose (nasopharynx) and measuring their viral loads.
They then examined which of these patients passed the coronavirus to someone else.
They found that the higher a patient’s viral load, the more likely they were to transmit their disease to someone they came into contact with. And the higher the spreader’s viral load, the faster the infected person tends to get sick.
“In other words, higher viral load, good transmissibility, low viral load, very poor transmissibility,” said Fauci.
Until now, it was not known whether viral load affected infectiousness, so there was some concern that even people with low levels of viruses could spread their illnesses well.
But it is important to note that this study was carried out almost a year ago, when there was not so much concern about the rapidly spreading variants, so it is difficult to interpret what it means for viral load and infectivity now.
Vaccinated people seem to have less virus to spread, even if they get sick
The second study, which came out last week and has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggested that people who were vaccinated in Israel had a “significant reduction” in viral load became ill, starting at least 12 days after the full vaccination.
Together, these two studies suggest that:
It is possible, then, that vaccinating a large number of people can help to crush the coronavirus outbreak, not only by keeping vaccinated people healthy, alive and out of the hospital, but also by preventing any of the vaccinated people who may become ill ( asymptomatic) to pass on their disease to others.
“It is yet another example of the scientific data that is beginning to point to the fact that the vaccine is important, not only for the health of the individual, to protect him from infections and diseases,” said Fauci, “but it also has very important implications of a public health posture for interfering and reducing the dynamics of the outbreak ”.
Further studies on viral loads in vaccinated people will need to be completed and validated by independent scientists in other countries around the world to see if this trend continues globally. (Both Moderna and Pfizer already have these studies underway, said Fauci.)
But in Israel, which has reached the leadership of the global group with almost 30% of Israelis now fully vaccinated, there is positive evidence. Another new study by Israel’s largest health provider this week suggests that among people who were vaccinated with Pfizer’s messenger RNA injections, there was a 94% drop in symptomatic cases of COVID-19 compared to their unvaccinated peers.
Being vaccinated “is not only good for you, your family and your community,” said Fauci. “This will have a very important impact on the dynamics of the outbreak in our country.”
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