Recently approved COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be more than 90% effective, and those who have been infected and recovered can expect to have some immunity from the disease, at least for a few months.
But can someone with immunity, from infection or vaccination, still spread COVID-19 to others?
“At this time, we still do not know that,” said Graham McKeen, assistant university director of public and environmental health at Indiana University.
Despite an international effort to quickly learn as much as possible about SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — much is still unknown because it has only been around for about a year. That’s why public health experts are still encouraging everyone to practice COVID-19 prevention behaviors, even as vaccines become available.
McKeen acknowledged most experts believe COVID-19 vaccines prevent transmission as well as the disease, but they don’t know for sure. And even it is eventually proven the vaccines can prevent transmission, it’s also important to remember that no vaccine is 100% effective in 100% of people 100% of the time, he said.
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