A post on Facebook has claimed that the Covid-19 vaccine “doesn’t stop you getting [Covid-19] or spreading it”.
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, which have been approved for use in the UK, have both been shown in multiple rounds of studies to reduce your chances of getting severely ill with Covid-19.
The Facebook post is accompanied by a screenshot from the government website which says: “We do not yet know whether [getting vaccinated] will stop you from catching and passing on the virus.”
This is referring to the fact that it is not yet clear whether being vaccinated can stop you getting infected with the Covid-19 virus, and then passing it on. This is different to getting ill from Covid-19. For example, you can become infected with the virus but not show any symptoms, or get particularly sick.
However, some data from the initial roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine in the UK shows that one dose reduces the risk of becoming infected by more than 70%, rising to 85% after the second dose. This data looked at results of the tests given to healthcare workers every two weeks, whether or not they have symptoms.
These results show the vaccine may be able to stop transmission, as you cannot pass on the virus if you are not infected with it.