COVID-19 despite the vaccine. When can this happen, is it dangerous? The doctor explains

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Even vaccinated people suffer from COVID-19. Does this mean that vaccines don’t always work? The contagious doctor Lidia Stopyra reassures: this is something we, doctors, expect. Why? Who is at greater risk of COVID-19 after vaccination? When can a heavier mileage occur? The specialist explained in an interview with Medonet.

1. The most important task of vaccines is to prevent severe disease and thus prevent death
2. Observations show that less than 19% of people get sick after being vaccinated against COVID-5. people
3. Dr. Stopyra emphasizes that doctors are able to predict who may be in this group and take special care of these people
4. Most of the time, the course of COVID-19 after vaccination is mild. However, more severe cases can happen, Dr. Stopyra explains when the risk is greater
5. You can find more information about the coronavirus and vaccinations on the TvoiLokony home page

Monika Mikołajska / Medonet: Clinical trials on vaccines have shown that they protect against severe COVID-19, hospitalization and death. However, there are information about cases of people who, despite being vaccinated, fell ill with the coronavirus, and even went to the hospital. Does this mean that vaccines don’t always work? Are there any reasons for concern?

Dr Lidia Stopyra: Remember that there is no vaccine that would have 100 percent. effectiveness. Efficiency at the level of 95 percent. it is very good indeed. Remember, however, that we obtain full immunity one week – two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine (the time depends on the type of preparation administered). The AstraZeneki vaccine has a declared lower effectiveness before infection – about 76 percent, but almost 100 percent. protects against severe disease.

The above-mentioned 95 percent. effectiveness also means that 5 percent. among those who are vaccinated, they will not respond to the vaccine, i.e. they will not develop antibodies and therefore immunity or the number of antibodies will not be sufficient to avoid infection.

Do you know who can be in this group?

Of course, we can select people who can be in these 5 percent. These are primarily patients with reduced immunity or a less efficient immune system. This includes people in advanced age – in them, as it were, due to old age, the immune system is no longer fully efficient. They are also people taking immunosuppressive drugs, e.g. in rheumatological, oncological or after transplant ailments.

The poor response of these patients to vaccination is not a cause for concern, but merely a message that they need to be monitored. We, the doctors, watch over their immune system – we control the level of antibodies they have produced and check whether they require prior immunization. They are not left to themselves. Nor is it that there is nothing that can be done for them.

Let us remember that vaccination is mainly about preventing severe disease. This means that after vaccination (administration of two doses), it may happen that we get sick, but the vast majority of these cases will be mild. This is watched by infectious diseases all over Poland. And while such diseases are not dangerous for an infected person, they are epidemiologically dangerous – such a person, even if it is asymptomatic, may infect others. Although such an infectivity is very small, it does exist. Hence, wearing the masks will be necessary for some time, even though we already have quite good immunization.

1. What is the risk of infection from vaccinated and healed?

But more severe cases do happen …

As a rule, even if the vaccine becomes ill after the COVID-19 vaccination, the course of the infection is mild. However, exceptions to the rule always happen. More severe coronavirus disease after vaccination may be affected by comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes or obesity, as well as a person’s overall health. Therefore, these are individual situations, requiring each case to be analyzed separately.

In practice, we do not observe that the number of COVID-19 infections after vaccination with two doses of any vaccine exceeds the aforementioned 5%, there are much fewer of them.

In our hospital there have been isolated cases of sickness after vaccination so far, and this is an expected situation. As I said, we can predict whose body will not make antibodies. Importantly, if all or almost all of us get vaccinated and we acquire herd immunity, when even these 5 percent. he will not acquire immunity, it will be safe for everyone.

1. What can and should not be vaccinated against COVID-19? Dr. Fauci observes

So we can say that these few cases of COVID-19 after vaccination are considered by doctors as something completely normal?

Yes, this is what we expect. And it’s not just the COVID-19 vaccines. We also know how effective these vaccines are and what the vaccination coverage of the population must be in order to be safe. If we vaccinate even 80-90 percent, even if the mentioned 5 percent. it will not develop immunity, and so we have the situation under control. That is why it is so important to vaccinate as many people as possible, and this is what we must strive for.

I would also like to remind you that while the vaccine is fully effective one week – two after the second dose, we gain immunity after the first dose, but it is smaller. Hence, it is important to still follow the rules of the sanitary regime, as before – wear masks, keep a distance …

1. When do COVID-19 vaccines start to work, and how do you check it? [WE EXPLAIN]

When in your opinion it will be possible to put the masks away. I think everyone dreams about it …

In order for us to take off our masks, we must achieve collective immunity. Similarly to other diseases, this means that immunity should be obtained 70 – 90 percent. population. This range is due to the fact that the virus changes, mutations appear – so it is a kind of respect, because we have to be open to what the coronavirus can bring. This is the normal way of things.

In a study by Inquiry, 24 percent. of the respondents declared that they did not intend to get vaccinated (sum of indications “definitely not” and “rather not” – editor’s note). However, this is quite a lot.

But you remember that at the very beginning, the percentage of those who did not want to be vaccinated was much higher than today (the MUW research conducted in the summer of 2020 showed that 37% of respondents wanted to use the vaccine – not yet available at that time – currently research by the agency Inquiries indicate that about 57% of people who have not yet been vaccinated declare their willingness to vaccinate – editor’s note).

The recent events at our hospital have shown how much people want to get vaccinated. We received 1 thousand. 860 doses of Pfizer vaccine. They were supposed to arrive frozen and we planned to vaccinate them within 10 days. But since they arrived defrosted, we had to use them within three days. I would like to emphasize here that a maximum of five days may elapse from thawing to consumption, but two have already passed before the vaccines reached us. So it was necessary to quickly arrange the saved 1 thousand. 800 people for three days instead of 10, organize vaccination teams, rooms, and the already planned vaccinations. The whole situation has been understood, however, that there are vaccines, but it is not known whether there will be so many people willing to vaccinate. So a lot of willing people came to the hospital, there were even quarrels and various unpleasant accusations. Still, it was uplifting to see so many people fighting for vaccines.

As for the number of people who do not want to be vaccinated … At the moment, we are simply vaccinating those who apply. I believe that those who doubt now will decide to take the preparation in some time. You have to wait, don’t worry in advance.

You may be interested in:

1. “A stone fell from my heart, because in a moment I will be vaccinated”. Report from the COVID-19 vaccination point
2. Sweden’s chief epidemiologist vaccinated with AstraZeneka. Has it had side effects?
3. Which countries are winning the fight against COVID-19? Where is Poland located? Latest ranking

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