Study Shows Viral Load of Delta Variant, Not Vaccine
The Claim
A new study shows that vaccinated people carry over 250 times the normal amount of COVID-19.
News posted on
Emerging story
On August 10, the Lancet published a study titled “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Among Vaccinated Healthcare Workers, Vietnam.” The study’s subjects were made up entirely of healthcare workers who had been inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.
Anti-vax media wrote and published claims about the paper, alleging that it reveals that vaccinated people are “superspreaders.” Misbar debunked a similar claim recently.
Their claims spread on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
We found that the study is not a comparison of unvaccinated vs vaccinated; rather, it’s a study of the delta variant that compares the viral load of people who have gotten the delta variant and the older strain. It makes no mention of unvaccinated people, although its subjects are vaccinated.
This is valuable data, as it goes towards explaining why the delta variant is so contagious. A higher viral load makes the virus more concentrated, making it easier to spread.
Since those spreading the claim misinterpreted the study's findings, we rate this as false.
