STUDY: Vaccines reduce the risk of spreading the virus through the nose and mouth – 16.03.2021

People vaccinated against COVID-19 not only protect themselves, but also reduce the risk of spreading the disease and infecting other individuals, according to a recent study conducted by an institute of the US military, informs Agerpres.

The infection study conducted by the Walter Reed Military Research Institute in Maryland monitored the amount of virus that reproduces in the monkeys’ noses, sinuses and throats after they are vaccinated. Monkeys, like humans, can still become infected with COVID-19 after vaccination, but the vaccine reduces the severity of the disease.

The researchers found in the monkeys that were vaccinated and then infected “a rapid decrease in the amount of virus that reproduces in their noses and upper airways,” said Dr. Kayvon Modjarrad, director of Walter’s infectious disease research department. Reed.

“Transmission takes place here, and the disease manifests itself below the lungs. But if there are many viruses that reproduce in the nose, sinuses, pharynx, there is transmission, ” Modjarrad said in an interview with McClatchy.

The lab measured the amount of virus in the noses and upper respiratory tract of monkeys during clinical trials of their own coronavirus vaccine.

According to Modjarrad, reducing the amount of virus in animals was a way to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine.

At the same time, the study found what other clinical trials on other vaccines found that vaccination can reduce the risk of transmission.

“I noticed this in animal studies. So we expected there to be some reduction in human-to-human transmission. And now we are starting to see this in real-world studies, ” Modjarrad said.

Other recent studies also suggest that vaccines available against COVID-19 – produced by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – reduce the risk of vaccinated people spreading the virus to other individuals.

A recent study by the University of Cambridge and the Public Health Service of England found a statistically significant reduction in the risk of infecting others by individuals who had been vaccinated.

Another study, which focused on the Pfizer vaccine and was conducted in Israel, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, yielded similar results.

Preliminary guidelines for vaccinated persons issued by the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States last week issued a series of preliminary guidelines for vaccinated individuals. According to the agency, vaccinated people can safely meet other vaccinated individuals indoors or with unvaccinated people from another household if the latter are at low risk of contracting a severe form of COVID-19.

However, the agency continues to encourage vaccinated people to wear masks and to observe physical distance in public spaces, in order to avoid the spread of the virus and the risk of infecting other individuals.

Paul Offit, a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccination Advisory Board and director of the Philadelphia Pediatric Hospital Vaccination Education Center, said vaccinated people should continue to be vaccinated. take precautions for other reasons.

“I’m completely vaccinated, I’m wearing a mask and I’m physically distancing myself for selfish reasons,” he said. “Maybe I’m one of those 20 out of 20 people who’s not protected. That is, it is 95% effective, “he said, referring to the proven effectiveness of the vaccine.

“It all depends on the level of the disease in the community,” Offit said. “When it gets to the point where there are far fewer cases and far fewer deaths, then you can know that there is (a) much smaller amount of virus in the community and you can feel better if you are vaccinated,” he added. he.

The CDC has indicated that it will continue to update its guidelines on safe practices for vaccinated individuals as scientific evidence multiplies and as the number of individuals receiving vaccines increases.

“As more people get vaccinated and science and evidence expand, and as the dynamics of the disease in this country change, we will continue to update our guidelines,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters. Agerpres.

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