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 level of risk of vaccinated people spreading covid-19 in venues that require a vaccine pass.

There is evidence to suggest that vaccination reduces the likelihood of infection or transmission for the Delta variant. Analysis suggests that the AstraZeneca vaccine reduces transmission by 25% up to three months post immunisation. The Pfizer vaccine has been shown to reduce transmission by 50% up to three months post immunisation.

There is a high level of uncertainty about the effectiveness of vaccination against infection or transmission in the context of Omicron. However, studies have shown that vaccination remains effective at reducing serious illness in the context of Omicron, particularly with booster doses.

Individuals can also show a recent test result to access settings which require vaccine-or-test certification. Negative test results provide assurance that an individual is not infectious when the test is taken and for a short time afterwards.

Overall, introducing vaccine or test certification will reduce risks in these settings when compared with no intervention. However, it will not eliminate the possibility of infectious people attending or transmitting the virus so individuals should continue to exercise caution.