I am not sure this “fact check” is factually correct. Check out Pfizer’s FDA Emergency Use application, I believe it says “to treat and prevent transmission” or words to that effect.
But all this still misses the point. It’s not so much what Pfizer did or didn’t say, rather it is what the vast majority of health authorities and politicians and media said - including Fauci. They basically claimed you needed the jab to prevent spread even though most thoughtful people could see in front of their eyes that it did no such thing.
So why didn't a very high Pfizer official like Janine Small know about it in her appearance at the EU Parliament and said the exact opposite?
And why are most new infections coming from the vaccinated?
I looked, but could not find, any Pfizer EUA request form. I did find the Pfizer press release on the day they submitted the request, and on the FDA.gov site I found the FDA EUA Approval announcement. The Pfizer request is not found on the FDA site.
Still, the FDA Approval letter restates most of what was in the Pfizer press release. In addition, the FDA approval memo states this (underlining mine for emphasis):
6.2. Unknown Benefits/Data GapsThis would suggest that the AP fact-check is technically correct that it was known that transmissibility was not studied, but assumptions were made about the effects of high efficacy on transmissibility of the virus.Duration of protection
As the interim and final analyses have a limited length of follow-up, it is not possible to assess sustained efficacy over a period longer than 2 months.
...
Vaccine effectiveness against transmission of SARS-CoV-2
Data are limited to assess the effect of the vaccine against transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from individuals who are infected despite vaccination. Demonstrated high efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 may translate to overall prevention of transmission in populations with high enough vaccine uptake, though it is possible that if efficacy against asymptomatic infection were lower than efficacy against symptomatic infection, asymptomatic cases in combination with reduced mask-wearing and social distancing could result in significant continued transmission. Additional evaluations including data from clinical trials and from vaccine use post-authorization will be needed to assess the effect of the vaccine in preventing virus shedding and transmission, in particular in individuals with asymptomatic infection.
However, the FDA also said that they could not determine the effects of the vaccine beyond a 2-month period, so assumptions about high efficacy reduction in transmissibility of the virus from symptomatic COVID-19 may have been overly optimistic.
-PJ