CDC in August: 'What the Vaccines Can't Do Anymore Is Prevent Transmission'

Public health officials changed their tune on the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines months before the discovery of the omicron variant of the virus, admitting in August that vaccines cannot prevent transmission of the virus — even though President Biden suggested otherwise as recently as December.During an August appearance on CNN’s The Situation Room, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky made it clear — prior to the discovery of the omicron variant — that coronavirus vaccines do not prevent transmission of the virus, despite the fact they were largely sold that way to the American public originally.“But what about all the fully vaccinated people who get the breakthrough infection? BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)“But what they can’t do anymore is prevent transmission,” she continued.“So if you are going home to somebody who has not been vaccinated to somebody who can’t get vaccinated, somebody who might be immunosuppressed or a little bit frail, somebody who has comorbidities that put them at high risk, I would suggest you wear a mask in public indoor settings,” Walensky added.“Especially if there is a breakthrough case and you get COVID, you’re fully vaccinated but you are totally asymptomatic, you can still pass on the virus to someone else.