Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021
Did the CDC director say vaccinated people are ‘the super-spreaders’ of COVID-19?
Although discoveries about the delta variant continue to change knowledge about it as scientists learn from its rapid spread, the CDC has not declared vaccinated persons to be "the super-spreaders" of the infection.
Any person infected with the delta variant can spread it, even vaccinated persons with a so-called "breakthrough infection."
The CDC director on July 31, 2021, shared rough results of a study of the July 4 weekend delta variant outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. That study indicates vaccinated people infected with the delta variant can carry as much viral material as unvaccinated people who are infected.
The CDC did not say vaccinated infected persons carry more viral load than the unvaccinated. From the CDC statement: "High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that … vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus."
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH on Today’s MMWR
- Centers for Disease Control Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021
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