Just one jab ‘halves spread of the virus’

Pfizer and AZ vaccines both slash the risk of passing Covid-19 on to others

A SINGLE dose of vaccine slashes the risk of spreading coronavirus by up to half, a study has revealed.

Not only does the jab reduce a person’s chance of catching Covid in the first place, it greatly reduces their chances of passing it on, should they get infected.

The research by Public Health England (PHE), which involved almost 1.5million adults, is the first of its kind to confirm the effectiveness of the jabs in curbing the virus’s ability to spread.

Until now, other studies have shown the vaccines massively reduce the odds of developing symptoms and ending up in hospital, even amongst the elderly and those with long-term health problems. This latest analysis found that adults who received the Pfizer vaccine – but still caught the virus – were 49% less likely to spread it to other household members than those who weren’t inoculated.

The results for the AstraZeneca jab were not quite as good but nonetheless, those who received it were 38% less likely to transmit it to others in their household.

The fact that both vaccines dramatically reduce the virus’s ability to spread – as well as preventing serious illness – offer renewed hope that they hold the key to a return to normal life.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘This is terrific news; we already know vaccines save lives and this study is the most comprehensive real-world data showing they also cut transmission of this deadly virus.

‘It further reinforces that vaccines are the best way out of this pandemic as they protect you and they may prevent you from unknowingly infecting someone in your household.’

The jabs’ ability to prevent virus transmission kicked in after just 14 days and they worked regardless of a person’s age or the number of people within their household, with whom they had close contact.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE said: ‘Vaccines are vital in helping us return to a normal way of life.

‘Not only do vaccines reduce the severity of illness and prevent hundreds of deaths every day, we now see they also have an additional impact on reducing the chance of passing Covid-19 on to others. I encourage anyone who is offered a vaccine to take it as soon as possible.

‘While these findings are very encouraging, even if you have been vaccinated, it is really important that you continue to act like you have the virus, practise good hand hygiene and follow social distancing guidance.’

Last week, a major Oxford study found that a single dose of either the AstraZeneca or the Pfizer vaccine reduced of symptomatic infection by nearly three quarters, compared to in people who had not had the jab.

The authors were so encouraged by the findings they said the jabs would enable the pandemic to be controlled without the need for future lockdowns.

This latest study involved just under 1.5million people from 553,000 households in England. This included about 57,000 people in 24,000 households who had caught Covid from someone they lived with who had been vaccinated. Although the researchers only looked at the vaccines’ effectiveness in cutting transmission at home, they believe they will also prevent its spread on public transport, in offices and in schools.

They will now examine whether having two doses reduces the chances of spreading the virus even further.

‘An additional impact’