Story at a glance
- The study found those who became infected with the coronavirus three weeks after receiving the first dose of vaccine were between 38 percent and 49 percent less likely to pass the virus on to unvaccinated members of their household.
- “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,” Matt Hancock, the U.K.’s health secretary, said in a statement.
- The study has yet to be peer reviewed.
A new study out of the United Kingdom suggests a single dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can reduce household transmission of the coronavirus by up to half.
The study from Public Health England, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, looked at more than 57,000 contacts from 24,000 households in which there was a confirmed COVID-19 case and that had received a vaccination, compared with almost 1 million contacts of unvaccinated cases.
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Researchers found those who became infected with the coronavirus three weeks after receiving the first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine were between 38 percent and 49 percent less likely to pass the virus on to unvaccinated members of their household.
Researchers said the protection kicked in around 14 days after receiving the first dose.
“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,” Matt Hancock, the U.K.’s health secretary, said in a statement.
“I urge everybody to get their vaccines as soon as they are eligible and make sure you get your second dose for the strongest possible protection,” Hancock said.
Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are being administered in the U.K., while the U.S. has only approved the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use. The U.S. is expected to begin sharing its inventory of AstraZeneca vaccine doses with countries around the world following a Food and Drug Administration safety review, according to The Associated Press.
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