Guidance regarding isolation and travel in respect of COVID-19 (FOI)

Request

I would like to know what scientific evidence and / or experiment the government has based their decision that persons who have had the vaccine are exempt from having to isolate in various scenarios including travel from amber zones as compared to persons who have not received the vaccine.

As far as I am aware there is no scientific evidence that suggests a vaccinated person who tests positive for COVID-19 will not transmit COVID-19 to another person.

For this reason I am led to believe that The States guidelines on isolation and travel is nonsensical.

Response

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in providing protection against symptomatic and severe COVID-19.

Vaccine efficacy against infection is more than 80%. Those who nonetheless get infection, will have 50% reduced transmissibility. In other words, COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduces virus transmission and fully vaccinated individuals no longer play a significant role in the epidemiology of the disease. Other countries are also using the benefit of full vaccination to lighten mitigation.

The US CDC (United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention), the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) and the UK have reached similar conclusions regarding the effectiveness of vaccination in reducing risks associated with international travel and accordingly they recommend alleviation of some or all measures for vaccinated travellers.

Noting that transmission risk is likely to be substantially reduced in vaccinated people, the US CDC concludes that “while the risks of SARS CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated in the setting of continued widespread community transmission of the virus, the benefits of avoiding disruptions such as unnecessary quarantine and social isolation may outweigh these potential residual risks”.

The ECDC recommends that “requirements for testing and quarantine of travellers can be waived or modified for fully vaccinated individuals as long as there is no or very low-level circulation of immune escape variants in the community in the country of origin”. Accordingly, appropriate safeguards are still in place with testing on arrival to Jersey for fully vaccinated individuals

References:

Covid-19 Vaccine Surveillance Report

Science Brief: COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccination   

Interim Guidance on the benefits of full vaccination against Covid-19