Those who are unvaccinated and those who have been completely vaccinated have equal capabilities of spreading the COVID-19 virus.
This, according to Dr Jone Hawea, a former surgeon with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
He said a weekly Morbidity and Mortality report released on July 30 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined the study carried out in the state of Massachusetts on the delta variant noted 74 per cent of those that were studied had two jabs and still had the same viral load as the 26 per cent that were not vaccinated.
“According to this study, the viral load is the same and the evidence is a public statement that CDC made about the delta variant,” Dr Hawea said.
“Why isn’t the Ministry of Health stating this evidence?
“This report by the CDC clearly states that those who are unvaccinated and those who have been completely vaccinated have equal capabilities of spreading the virus, their viral load is the same.”
However, Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the CDC finding indicated that the Delta variant was different from previous strains as it was highly contagious and likely more severe.
“The important point is that vaccines prevent 90 per cent of severe disease, but maybe less effective at preventing infection or transmission,” he said.
“Therefore, more breakthrough infections (infections that get through the vaccine transmission barrier) are expected and community spread can still occur despite vaccination.
“There are indications that these breakthrough infections may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases…..so NPIs are essential to prevent continued spread even with good vaccine coverage.”
Dr Fong said that in this case the vaccine would work to break the link between getting infected and getting severe disease.
He added less severe disease would mean that more people recovered and less pressure on our health system.
Dr Hawea said this latest CDC report indicated there was conflict of interest in trying to achieve herd immunity because the ability of an unvaccinated person to spread the virus was the same as a person who had received both jabs.
