COVID-19 vaccines reduce virus transmission in a health care worker case study

The 2019 coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccines used have been shown to provide strong immune responses to those who have been administered. However, the potential effect of a vaccine on the susceptibility of the virus has been little studied. via these people.

In a new study, recently released on the medRxiv* preprint server, the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to reduce transmission was examined in a large study of health care workers and their families, with promising results showing a significantly lower rate of transmission from vaccine to vaccine. those who are not vaccinated.

How was the study conducted?

Several previous studies have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 transmission appears to be lower after vaccination. However, these studies did not describe occupation or were too small to include hospital levels. Role is particularly important for health care workers as they are both more likely to be vaccinated, and are in the high-risk group due to increased transparency. Therefore, examination of nonvaccinated family members of health care workers has been proven to be a good indicator of referral.

Working-age healthcare workers (18-65) in the UK who had not previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and shared a home with non-health care workers were included in the study, including nearly 150,000 health care workers and 200,000 family members. The vaccination program for NHS staff was launched on 8 December 2020, and results including advanced COVID-19 PCR testing, hospitalization with COVID-19, and deaths from COVID-19 were counted for her. -all participants up to 3 March 2021. 78.3% of health care workers had received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 25.1% received a second at the time of the study.

Did the vaccines reduce transmission?

Overall, among non-vaccinated members of vaccinated health care workers, a 30% reduction was seen in registered cases 14 days after vaccination, and a nonsignificant decrease in hospitals. Even within 1–7 days after the first dose of the vaccine, both health care workers and members of the nonvaccinated family showed fewer new SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the group suggests that this may be the result of bias given by the already ill vaccine establishments.

Because unvaccinated family members of healthcare workers can get infections from other sources, in addition to the healthcare worker with whom they communicate, the 30% reduction in referrals could be in its true estimation. The agency sends about half of these cases to sources other than the health care worker living in dogs, based on previous estimates, and so the real reduction in transmission by about 60% after receiving one dose of the vaccine. Vaccination reduces the asymptomatic behavior of SARS-CoV-2, as demonstrated in some phase III clinical studies, which provides a reasonable explanation for the observed decline in transmission.

Arguments about administering one, two, or a second dose of the vaccine were issued for each case, with broader but perhaps less complete immunity across the population. At the time of this study, 25,000 workers had received the second dose of the vaccine, allowing the group to assess the impact of a second dose on transmission. Home workers who received two doses showed a significant reduction in virus buildup as seen in family members of those receiving one dose compared to none, by about 30%.

Hospital rates were low but consistent across those who received or did not receive the vaccine, suggesting although referrals decreased. But the severity of the disease has not changed. This confirms and supports the reported decline in transmission, as bias introduced by differences in behavior and other factors is clearly balanced among the t. -people. Importantly, this study supports the vaccination of facial health care workers as an effective protection for the wider community.

* Important message

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be seen as final, guiding clinical practice / health-related behaviors, or be treated as fixed information.