I’ve read here and elsewhere that there’s no evidence that being vaccinated will prevent you from getting infected and spreading the novel coronavirus. I understand that to mean that no one really knows if that can happen or can’t – there’s no evidence either way.
I’m hoping to understand the mechanism, and if other vaccines have the effect of protecting the vaccinated from sickness but not necessarily protecting the unvaccinated.
From my limited understanding of how these kinds of airborne viruses spread, they basically infect a person and cause that person to make many copies of itself. That person then transmits the virus through exhalations, coughing, sneezing, whatever. This continues until the infected person can create enough antibodies to stop the virus from replicating and stop the infection.
How would this work in a vaccinated person, assuming the vaccine “worked” and prevented infection in the vaccinated person?
And, my second question – are there other vaccines that protect the vaccinated but don’t necessarily stop the spread?
My understanding is that if somebody is coughing, sneezing and wheezing near you, your clothes will carry some of the virus and spread it around. But the most common route is via the hands. An infected person touches his nose, or the tissues he used, and his hands carry some of the virus, to deposit it later on a doorknob or a shopping cart or whatever… Vaccination will not prevent that but it will prevent you from falling ill. However, if you are in close contract with an infected person, you could become a carrier.
In Europe there seems to be greater compliance with the requirement to wear masks, although I see people wearing them below their noses. Definitely a case of “not clear on the concept” Granted that masks are not anywhere like 100% effective, and even less so if they are used for any length of time, but they do reduce the risk of infection substantially.
The only way to prevent transfer through the hands is thorough handwashing (medicated soap makes little difference) and don’t forget your thumbs, together with alcohol-based disinfectant.
A vaccinated person could still get COVID, since 'flu vaccines have historically had a success rate of less than 100% (I don’t have any figures, but I suspect around 80% success rate), but the COVID in such a case should be milder.and, hopefully, without the long-term side-effects that are turning up. And to answer the qu4estion, perhaps for the second time: yes, a vaccinated person could spread the virus.