Can you still spread the coronavirus after vaccination?

It is possible to spread the coronavirus after vaccination, although the risk is significantly reduced.

Vaccination usually reduces the viral load in infected individuals, meaning that if you do become infected, you will have fewer virus particles in your body. This makes you less infectious to others. Vaccinated individuals often have a shorter duration of infection, which reduces the chance of spreading. Vaccines are very effective at preventing symptomatic and severe disease, which also indirectly helps reduce spread, because people with symptoms can shed more virus particles and are therefore more infectious.

A breakthrough infection occurs when a vaccinated person becomes infected with the virus. Although vaccinated individuals with a breakthrough infection can still spread the virus, this usually happens to a lesser extent than unvaccinated individuals. This is due to the lower viral load and shorter duration of infectiousness. Vaccinated individuals can have asymptomatic infections, where they do not show symptoms but can still spread the virus. However, the rate of spread in asymptomatic cases is lower.

Although vaccination reduces the risk of spreading the coronavirus, it has not been completely eliminated. Vaccinated people can still become infected and spread the virus, especially with the emergence of new variants.

Source: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2110605

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2022-12-09 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2025