Vaccines do reduce transmission. From studies I've seen VE against transmission is around 60-80%, though it wanes quickly after 4 months. Not as good as 95% VE against hospitalization but not nothing either.
Naumova EA, Dierkes T, Sprang J, Arnold WH. The oral mucosal surface and blood vessels. Head Face Med. 2013 Mar 12;9:8. doi: 10.1186/1746-160X-9-8. PMID: 23497446; PMCID: PMC3639856.
It also has antibodies (humoral immune response).
Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody isotype in the mucosal immune system.
Li Y, Jin L, Chen T. The Effects of Secretory IgA in the Mucosal Immune System. Biomed Res Int. 2020 Jan 3;2020:2032057. doi: 10.1155/2020/2032057. PMID: 31998782; PMCID: PMC6970489.
And the vaccine triggers the development of those antibodies.
We evaluated the serum anti-spike (anti-S) IgG, anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) IgG and anti-S IgA response following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of first-responders. Among the 378 completely vaccinated participants, 98% were positive for anti-S IgG and 96% were positive for anti-S IgA.
Montague, B.T., Wipperman, M.F., Chio, E. et al. Elevated serum IgA following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of high-risk first responders. Sci Rep 12, 14932 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19095-7
Essentially the current vaccines wouldn't give any mucosal protection worth mentioning in itself, but since there are (hopefully) relevant lymphocytes in circulation, the host has more in the way of specific countermeasures ready to infiltrate from the bloodstream and shut down the worst of the shedding, sooner than if the specific immunity had to be developed first.
So we'd have more or less unfettered susceptibility for getting infected (superficially) and pretty much just as high levels of infectious excretions, but for maybe half as long a time at the highest levels.
Would you happen to know if that picture still holds?
> "While it is hoped this will be the case, the scientific community does not yet know if the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will reduce such transmission."
[1] https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coro...
What the FDA said, simplified, is there is no evidence either way whether a breakthrough COVID case in a vaccinated person poses a greater risk of infection to other vaccinated people, BUT past vaccinations have shown that those other vaccinated people are still protected and therefore that should be the assumption here until refuted.
Original:
Q: If a person has received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, will the vaccine protect against transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from individuals who are infected despite vaccination?
A: Most vaccines that protect from viral illnesses also reduce transmission of the virus that causes the disease by those who are vaccinated. While it is hoped this will be the case, the scientific community does not yet know if the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will reduce such transmission.
> It's obvious looking at the data that vaccines reduce transmission.
Are you questioning my faith?
The Science Pope doesn't like to hear such heresy. Better watch out or else he'll sic the Science Inquisition on yo' aess!
I don't.
I know 2 people that caught covid after being vaccinated. I've never caught it. Most people I know never caught it. And it would be even worse without vaccines. Y'all are doing something wrong over there.
Anecdotal evidence can be dismissed with anecdotal evidence.
I tested myself randomly one time, no symptoms, and tested positive.
Asymptomatic infection is quite common with covid.
Individual experiences dont give any indication of population level outcomes - there is too much variability.
Some people see their cancers spontaneously go into remission but you wouldnt make a claim that cancers usually go into remission by themselves.
Your personal attack is again HN rules. And I'm not sure where you're coming from - I've been vaccinated.
This "vaccines can do no wrong" bandwagon is as damaging to science as the "vaccines are all bad" group.
They were very slow to confirm side effects (remember when people suffering with heart issues were ridiculed and ignored?).
Very slow to let everyone know that it wouldn't actually stop transmission (remember when we were told to get it to protect grandma? Or how about the messaging that 'breakthrough cases are very rare').
Very slow to reveal that effectiveness waned quite quicky.
These issues were quite obvious from the beginning. It's taken two years and only now can these be openly discussed without becoming a social pariah.
"These findings suggest that, although vaccinated and/or previously infected individuals remain highly infectious upon SARS-CoV-2 infection in this prison setting, their infectiousness is reduced compared to individuals without any history of vaccination or infection. This study underscores benefit of vaccination to reduce, but not eliminate, transmission."