Vaccination is a key that doctors and medical experts have been stressing for a long to reduce the Covid-19 risk across the world, especially at a time when the world is going through so much that is adding worries of an incoming third wave potential wave of COVID-19.
According to all the studies that have been done it has been found that COVID-19 vaccination is beneficial in reducing the risk of severity and mortality risk associated with the illness. Along with that vaccination can also be considered a token for people to start their normal ‘mask-free’ lives again where they can roam freely without being fearful of getting infected with the virus.
Amid the vaccination drive, one of the most common questions people have is, are the vaccinated ones capable of transferring the COVID-19 disease to the unvaccinated ones?
Hence, the US Centers for Disease Control and Communicable Diseases (CDC) has released a report on this which talks about:
How safe or vulnerable are the unvaccinated ones amidst the ones who have been already vaccinated against COVID-19? Will the vaccinated ones transmit the disease asymptomatically to the vulnerable ones?
Well, the report says, there is growing evidence that indicates that people who are fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) are less likely to have an asymptomatic infection or to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others.
However, as long as there is continued community transmission of the virus the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eradicated. While currently there are very limited data that is available on the effectiveness of the vaccine in people who are immunocompromised. Therefore, the need for personal protective measures after vaccination with their healthcare provider should be discussed in people with immunocompromising conditions, including those taking immunosuppressive medications.
As we dare to begin the ascent out of this pandemic, the single most promising ray of hope has been the introduction of various COVID-19 vaccinations. It has thankfully been proven that these jabs are highly effective in preventing serious illness and death from the virus, but just how effective they are at ending asymptomatic transmission, is yet to be fully appreciated. For this is the ultimate pinnacle that needs to be achieved in order to inch closer towards herd immunity, and effectively the end of this scourge. Many recent scientific papers have released promising data- all showing at least a 50% reduction in transmission of the virus after even only one dose of the vaccine (both Astra-Zeneca and Pfizer/Moderna), said Dr. Jennifer Prabhu Co-Founder & CEO, Circee Health Pvt. Ltd. MD, MT (ASCP), FAAP, FACP and is also a double board-certified doctor in Internal Medicine and in Pediatrics.
She added, “One simply needs to look at the data out of Israel-the country with the world’s highest per capita vaccination rate- an observational study revealed that there was up to a 20-fold reduction in viral load [the amount of viral particles present] as early as 14 days after the first dose. Recall that the lower the viral load, the less risk of infecting others Therefore, one can further infer that the reduction in viral load would further decrease after two doses of the vaccine. Certainly these, among many other similar data points, are a much-needed positive piece of news for us all!”
