No, they were very effective at preventing symptomatic covid. This can mean either preventing infection or not preventing infection but just stopping symptoms. The trials that came up with that 94% efficacy never tested for which of these two outcomes it was, and it turns out it was mostly the second one, which allows for asymptomatic spreading.
No, the vaccines were very effective at preventing any infection, both symptomatic and asymptomatic. There were studies done by giving the participants regular covid tests, usually once a week, so they would catch asympomatic cases as well.
Here are the conclusions from a meta-study from July 2021:
> In fully vaccinated individuals, VE against symptomatic and asymptomatic infections was 80–90% in nearly all studies.
