Confused and overwhelmed by information about Delta?

Option #1: Vaccines

Have you been reading two news stories in the same day that seem to say conflicting things about how effective the vaccines are against Delta? 

It's important to remember that there are three different "effectiveness" measures that matter, and news stories often don't specify which one they are referring to:

  1. Prevention of severe illness/hospitalization/death
  2. Prevention of non-severe illness
  3. Prevention of passing the virus to others, particularly those who have not chosen to get vaccinated

This summary from the Mayo Clinic breaks down the effectiveness figures for severe illness vs non-severe illness. 

How much do vaccinated people transmit Delta? We don't know yet, but we know it is more than zero.