COVID-19 Vaccinated People Who Get Infected Less Likely to Spread the Virus, Fauci Says

Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts said that it is unlikely for vaccinated people who have caught COVID-19 to transmit the virus despite the increased numbers of delta variant cases.

Dr. Fauci said that it would be reasonable to assume that these people are less likely to transmit COVId-19 because they have fewer viruses in their nasal passages, suggesting that breakthrough infections are less contagious than infections from unvaccinated individuals.

But still, experts recommend that vaccinated people take safety precautions when in a large group of people or a region with a low vaccination rate.

Breakthrough Cases Less Likely to Transmit COVID-19

COVID-19 transmission has been always the concern ever since the pandemic began and even when COVID-19 vaccines started rolling out in different countries. Knowing how the virus is being transmitted today with all the new variants present will help in the fight against COVID-19.

During the recent White House briefing, Dr. Fauci said that fully vaccinated people who get breakthrough cases of COVId-19 are probably less likely to transmit COVID-19.

Additionally, the nation's top infectious experts said that it is a reasonable assumption that vaccinated people who contract the virus are less likely to spread it than those unvaccinated people.

Those who develop asymptomatic symptoms have less virus in their nasal passages, making them less likely the culprit of the continuous spread of coronavirus in the US, Business Insider reported.

Dr. Fauci's claim may soon be backed by real-world data as there is an ongoing large study that currently tracks COVID-19 transmission in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Helix, vice president of science Will Lee once told the Insider that areas with high rates of vaccinated people had lower cases of COVID-19 even when Delta variant started infecting many people. More so, delta cases in the US and the UK tend to be milder in vaccinated people.

A study in Israel, titled "Decreased SARS-CoV-2 viral load following vaccination" published in medRxiv, confirms that vaccinated people catching COVID-19 have less virus in their systems, as Dr. Fauci claims. Although its findings have not yet been peer-reviewed, it still adds to the growing evidence that COVID-19 transmission is less likely to come from vaccinated people.

ALSO READ: Gamaleya Sputnik V: Single Dose Causes Strong Antibody Response vs. COVID-19?

How Long Do Vaccinated People Need to Take Safety Precautions?

Even after getting vaccinated, experts still recommend vaccinated people take safety precautions. Dr. Katherine O'Brien of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told Vismita Gupta-Smith of the World Health Organization in an interview that these safety precautions are still necessary while experts are still learning about the full capabilities of vaccines.

As to how long these precautions should be observed will depend on what communities and countries do to crush this virus and its transmission. In that way, vaccines could do their job at preventing disease.

Dr. O'Brien reminded that there is still no evidence yet on the effects of the vaccine in some age groups and its use on children. For the time being, these age groups remain at risk of contracting the virus.

Furthermore, there is still a shortage of vaccines, leaving many communities vulnerable. That is why safety precautions should still be in place, such as wearing face masks, physical distancing, hand washing, and not gathering in big groups.

Ultimately, only time could tell until when these precautions should still be in place. When there is broad vaccination coverage in communities and proves that it prevents the infection from spreading, then perhaps these precautions will slowly be lifted.