I can’t say that I’m surprised.
Remaining unvaccinated increases risk to the vaccinated, says U of T COVID study
People who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 not only place themselves at greater risk of getting infected by the virus, but also increase the infection risk of those around them who have rolled up their sleeves for a jab, according to new Canadian modelling research.
The findings, published Monday in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), suggest the choice to remain unvaccinated affects the infection risk among vaccinated people “in a manner that is disproportionate to the portion of unvaccinated people in the population,” the authors write.
The modelling showed these findings held true even when COVID vaccination rates are high, said Dr. David Fisman, the study’s lead author and professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
“What we see under the (modelling) conditions, which look a lot like the COVID epidemic at the moment, is the risk for vaccinated individuals is driven disproportionately by their interactions with unvaccinated individuals,” Fisman said in an interview. “This belies the idea that (vaccination) is just an individual’s personal choice that doesn’t affect anyone else.”
