A single dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine can reduce transmission of the virus within a household by up to half, according to a study by Public Health England released April 28.
The study found that people who became infected with COVID-19 three weeks after getting a single dose of either vaccine were between 38 percent and 49 percent less likely to transmit the virus to someone in their household compared to those who were unvaccinated.
Protection was seen starting about 14 days after vaccination, and similar levels of protection were seen in people regardless of their age.
"We already know vaccines save lives, and this study is the most comprehensive real-world data showing they also cut transmission of this deadly virus," Matt Hancock, the U.K.'s health secretary, said in a news release.
Mr. Hancock also stressed the importance of returning for a second dose, saying "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."
The study noted that households are high-risk settings for virus transmission, and similar results could be expected in other settings with similar transmission risks, such as prisons.
The study included more than 57,000 contacts from 24,000 households in which there was a confirmed case of COVID-19 in someone who had received a vaccine. It was compared to nearly 1 million contacts of unvaccinated cases. The study has not been peer reviewed.
Read Public Health England's full news release here.
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