logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Is a vaccinated person wrong to believe an unvaccinated person can be a threat to their health?

By Dean Miller
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

An anti-vaccine social media post recycles a common misperception: that vaccines are fake unless they completely protect every vaccinated person. The post implies that if vaccines were completely successful, a vaccinated person would have nothing to fear from someone who is unvaccinated.

But no vaccine is 100% effective, so the vaccinated person is still at risk of infection from someone carrying the virus.

Vaccine makers, the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and medical professionals are unanimous in saying that vaccines are not 100% effective and that even vaccinated people should take precautions to avoid exposure to COVID-19 since "breakthrough" infections in vaccinated people have been recorded.

The CDC says: "COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control ... There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized or die from COVID-19."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control Interim Estimates of Vaccine Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Among Health Care Personnel — 33 U.S. Sites, January–March 2021
Yale Medicine Comparing the COVID-19 Vaccines: How Are They Different?
Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Breakthrough Case Investigations and Reporting
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.