Health-care worker receives COVID-19 vaccine.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky had said Tuesday that “vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real world data.” Her statement was based ona large study the federal health agency released Monday that had tracked newly vaccinated peoplein the U.S. over 13 weeks to monitor the efficacy of the vaccines in daily life.The CDC followednearly 4,000 heath care workers, police, firefighters and other essential workers who received one of the two mRNA vaccines between Dec. 14 and March 13 and tested them weekly for COVID-19.
Because the majority of the vaccinated people did not test positive for COVID-19 during the 13 weeks, Walensky concluded that they did not carry the virus.
“Dr. Walensky spoke broadly during this interview,” an agency spokesmantoldThe New York Timeson Thursday. “It’s possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get COVID-19. The evidence isn’t clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence.”
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“We can kind of almost see the end,” Walenskysaid onThe Rachel Maddow Showon Tuesday. “We’re vaccinating so fast … And yet on the other side, I’m watching the cases tick up. I’m watching us have increased numbers of hyper-transmissible variants. I’m watching our travel numbers tick up, and the sense is, I have seen what it looks like to anticipate the oncoming surge. And what I really would hate to have happen is to have another oncoming surge just as we’re reaching towards getting so many more people vaccinated.”
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
