LONDON - Covid-19 vaccines deployed in England can cut transmission of the coronavirus by up to a half, data from Public Health England showed on Wednesday, in addition to the protection the shots offer against symptomatic infection.
News research showed that people who became infected with the coronavirus three weeks after receiving one dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine were between 38% to 49% less likely to pass it on to household contacts compared to those who were unvaccinated.
The shots also stop a vaccinated person developing infection to start with, reducing the risk by around 60% to 65% from four weeks after one dose of either vaccine.
"This study is the most comprehensive real-world data showing they also cut transmission of this deadly virus," health minister Matt Hancock said.
"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 study included over 57 000 contacts from 24 000 households in which there was a lab-confirmed case that had received a vaccination, Public Health England (PHE) said, compared with nearly 1 million contacts of unvaccinated cases.
In the meantime, US health officials said on Tuesday that fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks when walking, jogging or biking outdoors, or dining with friends at outdoor restaurants.
President Joe Biden celebrated the change in later remarks, urging people to get inoculated not just to protect themselves and those around them but so they can live more normally, by "getting together with friends, going to the park for a picnic without needing a mask,“ the Washington Post reported.