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If you've been listening to the news media or even some medical professionals, you might assume the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are about 95% effective at stopping you from getting infected by the virus. Think again. Despite popular belief, no one knows how well the vaccines actually perform at halting infections overall or preventing transmission. All we understand now is how well they prevent people from becoming significantly sick.
The ability of the vaccines to prevent all infections may seem like an arcane topic compared to their proven ability to stave off moderate-to-severe illness and death. Still, infection prevention "is going to be one of the determinants about how many people die. In effect, you have to vaccinate fewer people to get to herd immunity with a vaccine that protects against infection," Joshua Schiffer, MD, MSc, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told