A single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer PFE,
and its partner BioNTech BNTX,
reduces infections and decreases the risk of transmission, according to a new study.
A study by the University of Cambridge Hospitals National Health Service Foundation and the University of Cambridge looked at healthcare professionals in January, where similar numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated employees were assessed.
He found that 26 out of 3,252, or 0.8%, tests by unvaccinated health workers were positive. This compared with 13 out of 3,535, or 0.37%, tests by health professionals less than 12 days after vaccination, and four out of 1,989, or 0.2%, tests by health professionals in 12 days or more post- vaccination.
“This is great news – the Pfizer vaccine not only provides protection against illness from SARS-CoV-2, but it also helps prevent infection by reducing the potential for transmitting the virus to others,” said Dr. Mike Weekes, an infectious disease specialist who conducted the study.
This suggests a four-fold reduction in the risk of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection among healthcare professionals who have been vaccinated for more than 12 days, the researchers said, with the level of infection halved for those vaccinated less than 12 days ago. The study was not peer-reviewed.
The Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine is administered in two doses. In the USA, the interval between doses is three weeks, while in the United Kingdom the interval is up to 12 weeks.
A growing body of evidence shows how effective the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine has been in the UK and Israel, two of the countries that lead the mass vaccination.