Will the vaccinated 'oldies' become the new superspreaders?

[OnlyTeaForMe]

So, if people who have been vaccinated can still catch and pass on the virus (but not get so ill with it themselves) isn't there a chance that the active 75+ group will become the new superspreaders once they've been vaccinated?

I know several people in this age group who intend to get out there and live life to the full once they've been vaccinated, and I sense that people don't really understand that they still need to wear masks and social distance.

If they all start visiting family and friends and shopping and drop their guard, then surely they will begin to put the non-vaccinated at risk?

Yes I wonder about this too! If vaccination doesn't stop you catching and passing on the virus then essentially what it is doing is increasingly the number of asymptomatic spreaders!! This would be fine once most are vaccinated but until this point, it's surely going to increase spread?! And will probably mean that most children will get this virus at some point in childhood if they're not to be vaccinated.

I think they need to be educated that social distancing, masks etc are here for the foreseeable further whether you are vaccinated or not. After all, the vaccine is not infallible either.

I guess that there will be big groups of elderly support groups in garden centres.

I think we do need more clarity on this. Surely giving information to those being vaccinated at the point of vaccination would be a good way to get the message across.

I don't see how, human nature being what it is, people won't change their behaviour if they think they're no longer personally at risk, especially when they've been told for so long that other, younger people, are so much less vulnerable.

I'm not sure that once you get vaccinated you are able to visit anyone. I think we are still pretty much stuck in social distancing even then.

@Chaotic45

I think we do need more clarity on this. Surely giving information to those being vaccinated at the point of vaccination would be a good way to get the message across.

They are being told they need to continue to comply with all guidance. Whether they're listening is another thing.

Yes, this is the hit where we find out they don't give one about the rest of us!

Yes because every day my nan asks about vaccine and thinks she’ll be ok when she has it and bugger the rest of us. She plans on travelling, shops etc

@OnlyTeaForMe I find your OP quite patronising. I have some friends who are 78, they have been vaccinated and are well aware they will have to continue wearing masks and socially distance. My DH and I are in our 60's and are fully aware too.

If I'm going to point fingers it is mostly young men I have seen not wearing masks in hospital waiting rooms and shops.

@Spongebobsquarefringe

Yes because every day my nan asks about vaccine and thinks she’ll be ok when she has it and bugger the rest of us. She plans on travelling, shops etc

Well if I was an older person who read some of the posts on here about why we are bothering to save over 80’s I wouldn’t care less about protecting the needlessly goading.

And I’m pretty ancient myself.

I think I will avoid garden centres in future.

Most vaccines actually do stop people passing it on - it’s just that this data can’t be gathered until the vaccine is in use.
The current vaccines are likely to stop spread but you’ll need large numbers of people vaccinated to see the effect

Sorry @Therealone - didn't mean it to be patronising, which is why I put 'oldies' in brackets, for example.

Of course not all older people will act irresponsibly, but I do believe that there is a significant proportion of (perhaps less well-educated?) the older age group who will not realise that they must still adhere to the SD guidelines etc, especially if they just read the sort of tabloid headlines which imply the vaccine is the answer to everything.

But the WHOLE POINT is that COVID kills old folk, NOT young folk. So once these vulnerable oldies are vaccinated we CAN ALL GO BACK TO NORMAL.

We cannot continue to live this half life to protect the handful of young people that get sick from COVID. We don't do it for any other virus.

Life is never going to be risk free. Why can't people get their heads round that? No one is owed total protection from COVID, it's about reducing risk to acceptable levels so life can be worth living again.

I may be missing the point of the thread, but does anyone know of an example of a vaccine that prevents serious illness but does not prevent transmission?

Older people gave us Brexit, I won't be putting my faith in them to prioritise youngsters now!

Yes I hope they do get out there and enjoy themselves!! I have actually been super pissed off with the younger people who couldn’t give a toss about the vulnerable...whatever their age ! If I was older and read some of the comments about the elderly on MN I would just get out there ,spend all the inheritance and have fun!!

The way I understand it is that we don’t know whether it prevents transmission, but if it decreases the viral load within the body with the antibodies it produces it will make it much less transmissible.
I don’t think it’s as straight forward as catching it and passing it on. That’s not to say that people who have had the vaccine are automatically exempt from social distancing and masks but it may mean that they are less infectious anyway.

@mommybunny

I may be missing the point of the thread, but does anyone know of an example of a vaccine that prevents serious illness but does not prevent transmission?

@mommybunny

Nope. No one can. They're just playing it safe by not confirming this.

It'll prevent transmission, surely? In order to transmit a virus, it's got to reproduce in you to a high enough level that you begin shedding it. If you're vaccinated, the virus should be unable to reproduce enough to shed before the immune system nobbles it.

@mommybunny

I may be missing the point of the thread, but does anyone know of an example of a vaccine that prevents serious illness but does not prevent transmission?

Not a vaccine but I think you can be immune to chicken pox, by virtue of having had it and still be a carrier?

I think elderly should follow sd as long as rest of us need to. But I am afraid we will see large elderly "support bubbles" at Wetherspoons or garden centres.