A single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine can halve the transmission of the virus, according to a study by Public Health England.
The study involved people who received a single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines – the first two approved for use in the UK.
Those who were infected at least three weeks later were between 38% and 49% less likely to pass the virus to people living in the same household, compared to those who had not been vaccinated.
The protection was seen about two weeks after vaccination and did not appear to differ with age, although most of the study participants were under the age of 60.
Dr Peter English, a retired communicable disease consultant, said the study authors may have even underestimated the effect of vaccines on transmission.
He added: “These results are really important. They add to our reason to hope that the vaccines will really add to the immunity of the herd.
“The evidence was already mounting that vaccination will prevent people from getting infected (and if they are not infected, they cannot pass the infection on).
“This study shows that even though vaccinated people are infected, they are much less likely to be infectious and to pass the infection on to others.
“This is an extremely encouraging set of results.”
The study has not yet been peer reviewed and included more than 57,000 people living in 24,000 households who were contacts of a vaccinated person.
They have been compared to nearly a million contacts of unvaccinated people.
Another study showed that one in four people had mild and short-lived side effects after receiving Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines.
The most common side effects were headache, fatigue and tenderness, most peaking within 24 hours of vaccination and usually lasting one to two days.
The study is published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases and is based on an analysis conducted by researchers at King’s College …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-04-28 00:53:00
