Risk of COVID-19 from fully vaccinated travellers not zero, but still low
Posted Jul 17, 2021 7:18 am.
News that Canada may soon welcome fully vaccinated U.S. travellers comes as COVID-19 cases rise in some states, but infectious disease experts say the risk posed by vaccinated visitors is low.
Doctor Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist in Mississauga, Ont., says risk of transmission from fully vaccinated individuals is not zero, but it’s very low.
He adds that a fully vaccinated person can still catch COVID-19, though it happens rarely and illness is less severe when it does occur.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Thursday that Canada could reopen the border to fully vaccinated Americans by mid-August, with immunized travellers from across the globe following suit by early September.
Fifty-five per cent of Americans were at least partially vaccinated as of yesterday, with 48 per cent fully vaccinated.
Canada’s vaccine rate was nearing 70 per cent of the total population, including 47 per cent fully jabbed.
The U.S. recorded more than 35,000 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, up from 12,000 daily cases a month ago. The country was averaging 250,000 cases in January before its vaccine rollout sped up.
