Can vaccines stop you from spreading COVID-19?

And can Neanderthal genes help you beat the virus? Luke O'Neill's COVID update.

Data on the vaccines has consistently shown they can significantly reduce the risk of severe illness.

However, whether they also stop transmissibility remains the big question that scientists are working to figure out.

Professor O'Neill explained: “If we can stop transmission with the vaccine, that would be tremendous because the virus then just goes away.

“When you get the vaccine, [there’s protection] against you getting sick and ending up in hospital… wouldn’t it be great though if you were no longer infectious to someone else?

“The evidence grows that these vaccines are stopping people getting infected, which is great.”

A Moderna study showed a two-thirds drop in transmission, while an AstraZeneca study showed a 49% drop.

Professor O'Neill says researchers examine this by taking a swab sample from the nose of those who've been vaccinated.

He said: “They’re measuring the viral load - it actually measures the level of virus in the nose.

"In Israel, they’re showing at least a four-fold decrease in the nose once you’ve been vaccinated..

“Huge analysis is happening - it’s like a big experiment. There are so many people in the world vaccinated now - I think it’s 300 million.”

Видео Can vaccines stop you from spreading COVID-19? канала Newstalk