QUESTION:

So Pfizer trial counted a positive COVID case if there was a positive test with one symptom and Moderna requires a positive test and two symptoms ... does this mean these trials are not actually properly measuring rate of asymptomatic spread?

Basically my question is whether the efficacy number includes people who do have COVID but were asymptomatic? because asymptomatic spread actually *is* a problem, as far as I have learned.

Ah this maybe answers my question https://twitter.com/kittyballball/status/1328329139204534284

Extremely weird to define “got COVID” as “got COVID with symptoms” when we know asymptomatic people can be disease carriers ... seems like efficacy of the vaccines should be lower, then

Remember, we still don’t fully understand covid as a disease and it’s possible that people who are “asymptomatic” or low symptomatic have internal/side effects that we don’t know about yet so assuming everyone who is asymptomatic is fine is probably a mistake

Another helpful answer: these vaccines are meant to prevent visible disease but not actual disease https://twitter.com/genandgenes/status/1328336112142721033