Fully vaccinated people can contract and pass on Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in household settings, but at lower rates than unvaccinated people, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Researchers led by Imperial College London, UK, found that vaccinated people clear the infection more quickly, but the peak viral load among them is similar to that seen in unvaccinated individuals, which may explain why they can still readily pass on the virus at home.

Medical staff take swab samples to be tested for Covid-19 in Ganzhou District in Zhangye, in China’s northwest Gansu province. Pics/AFP