Amid debates over the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent transmission of the virus comes a report from Germany that a vaccinated man ...
Amid debates over the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent transmission of the virus comes a report from Germany that a vaccinated man died aboard a plane and was later found to be infected with COVID-19.
The virus has not been confirmed as the cause of death, according to the National.
The 51-year-old man, whose name was not disclosed, was flying from Istanbul to Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 25 aboard Pegasus Airlines.
He was found motionless in his seat after the other passengers had disembarked the plane.
The German-language publication der Spiegel speculated that other passengers may have believed the man was sleeping.
A police spokesman said he was traveling alone and had a window seat on the plane.
In order to enter Germany from Turkey, the traveler had to provide either proof of vaccination or a negative test.
“In full compliance with the Covid-19 regulations between Germany and Turkey, the passenger was allowed to take the flight from Istanbul to Hamburg after providing evidence of his or her complete vaccination status,” Pegasus Airlines said in a statement.
“We extend our condolences to the family and neighbours of the passenger,” the airline added, according to the National.
A doctor found that the deceased man had COVID-19 during a preliminary examination of his body.
According to der Spiegel, another German newspaper reported that the man had previously suffered from severe illnesses, but no details were provided.
A study published last month in the medical journal The Lancet indicated that individuals who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are just as likely to spread the delta variant of the virus as those who have not been vaccinated.
“The proportion of infected contacts was similar regardless of the index cases’ vaccination status. We observed transmission of the delta variant between fully vaccinated index cases and their fully vaccinated contacts in several households,” the researchers said.
“Although vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and deaths from COVID-19, our findings suggest that vaccination is not sufficient to prevent transmission of the delta variant in household settings with prolonged exposures,” the study concluded.
“Our findings show that vaccination alone is not enough to prevent people from being infected with the delta variant and spreading it in household settings,” said Ajit Lalvani, a professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London who helped lead the study, according to Bloomberg.
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