Local experts react to CDC news that vaccinated people don't carry virus

For months, experts were unsure if the vaccine would prevent you from spreading the virus to others.

“Our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick and it’s not just in the clinical trials but also in real world data," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.

Real world data that showed those who were fully vaccinated by either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine did not transmit the virus.

“Before, we didn’t know for sure if it would keep you from spreading it and now we have good evidence that you will be safe and not spread it to other people," ECU associate professor of microbiology & immunology Dr. Rachel Roper said.

This means if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you may have more freedom than you thought.

"You can visit friends and family who might be susceptible to the virus or getting severely ill from the virus," Roper said.

“Right now the older population has been vaccinated and so their illness rates and hospitalization rates are going way down," she said. "And now, the people that are being hospitalized are younger people. Some places a third of the people in the hospital are below age 45. You’ve got to remember this virus isn’t safe for people who are younger, either.”

The new data focuses on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, however, experts tell WRAL there’s trial data for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and they expect this to be true for all. ​