The Claim:
A new claim on social media alleges that pharmaceutical companies never tested if vaccines prevented transmission, which proves that vaccines do not prevent transmission, of course.
The Facts:
That the covid vaccines were not tested for transmission is not news, nor is it something that was kept under wraps. The FDA authorization for the EUA back in Dec 2020 spelled out that “At this time, data are not available to make a determination about how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person.”
Vaccines were tested and approved based on data for safety and efficacy: did they prevent disease and are they safe. Preventing transmission, while a benefit, is an indirect benefit, and is often estimated after the vaccine is licensed and not something that approvals depend on.
We also note this study, which shows that even when infected with COVID, those who are fully vaccinated were contagious for about half as long and infected far fewer people (almost a quarter fewer) than those who were partially vaccinated or unvaccinated.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
Just the Facts Newsletter:
Correcting this week's disinformation
Sign up to get a weekly look at the latest vaccination facts as we debunk the latest false vaccination claims making the rounds on the internet.