Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the risk to public health in England of transmission of covid-19 by those who have been vaccinated against it.

Public Health England (PHE) has undertaken their first analysis of the early effects of COVID-19 vaccination using routine testing and vaccination data across England. Early data has shown that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are having a significant effect on the reduction of COVID-19 infection, hospitalisations, and deaths in those aged over 70 years old. The data suggests the vaccine may also help to interrupt virus transmission.

Through their surveillance strategy, PHE will continue to monitor how effective the vaccine is at protecting against a range of outcomes, including infection, symptomatic disease, hospitalisations, mortality, and onwards transmission.