Can 'viral shedding' after the COVID vaccine infect others? That's a big 'no' - SBS News

"Viral shedding" fears have led some businesses to ban vaccinated customers, but COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain any live virus to shed.

Fears of “viral shedding” and other concerns after the COVID-19 vaccine has led some businesses to ban vaccinated customers from the premises, believing vaccination poses a health risk to others.

But COVID vaccines don’t contain any live virus to shed.

Here’s the science to put the myth of viral shedding after the COVID vaccine to bed.

People can shed (or release) virus after a viral infection, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Some vaccines for other diseases contain live viruses that have been weakened (or attenuated).

However, this happened in less than one per cent out of more than 20,000 people vaccinated over a ten-year period.

However, none of the COVID vaccines approved for use anywhere around the world so far use live virus.

COVID vaccines don’t give you the disease or give you a positive COVID test.

Again, they don’t contain live virus.

For that you need the entire virus, which the vaccines don’t contain.

It would need to be packaged inside a live virus, which our vaccines don’t contain.

Rather than banning vaccinated people from businesses for fear of viral shedding, owners should be welcoming them with open (socially distanced) arms.

In England, people who became infected despite being vaccinated with either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines (known as a breakthrough infection), were only half as likely to pass their infection on to household contacts compared to infected people who were not vaccinated.

In Israel, people who had a breakthrough infection after the Pfizer vaccine had less virus cultured from their nose than people who had not been vaccinated.

Israeli Study Suggests Pfizer Vaccine Reduces Covid-19 Transmission.

The study’s authors said their data suggest the vaccine is likely to reduce viral shedding and therefore lessen the spread among the population.

There’s no chance of viral shedding as a result of your COVID vaccine.

Can 'viral shedding' after the COVID vaccine infect others.