Coronavirus has been infecting humans for more than a year and 4 months. The whole of the year 2020 went in infection transmission and lockdown and movement restrictions. Towards the end of 2020 arrived the much-awaited vaccines against the virulent virus. Two vaccines came in: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. A number of other local vaccines also were approved in different countries of the world for protection against Covid-19. Vaccination drives commenced and now it has been nearly 6 months that people are getting the vaccine jabs. Side-effects are rare and less. But what should one know of the care of self and family after receiving the vaccine? Besides, what are the things that vaccinated people should not do after getting the jab?
Don’ts after Covid-19 vaccine
By 1 May 2021, in the USA most adults would be eligible for the vaccine against coronavirus. And those who already took the vaccinated should wait for 2 weeks after the second dose of vaccine before they can consider themselves protected against the virus.
One should avoid eating or drinking fluids immediately after the vaccine. This is because they can have some side-effects and being on an empty stomach might prevent vomiting and aspiration in those cases.
A vaccinated person should not take steroids after the dose because it might hamper the development of immunity. Kathryn A. Boling, family medicine specialist at Mercy Medical Center says:
“You don’t want to start steroids the week before you’re vaccinated or immediately after you are vaccinated because steroids suppress inflammation a lot,”
“The anti-inflammatory effect could interfere with your body’s ability to mount a good reaction to the vaccine and for you to become protected.”
For similar reason, do not consume pain relievers prior or during the vaccination. Kathryn explains:
“You don’t want to slow down or stunt that process by taking something like ibuprofen beforehand,”
After the vaccine, do not post your vaccination card online because it has vital information and may get misused.
MarkAlain Déry, epidemiologist and medical director for infectious diseases at Access Health Louisiana warns:
“I would not recommend posting their vaccination card online,”
“That’s because there’s some identifiable information like your name, your birthday, and your gender, and other information could be potentially used for ID theft.”
More don’ts post-vaccination
Though one may want to celebrate after the vaccine, it is best to delay the celebration. Kathryn says:
“I wouldn’t drink alcohol the very first day that you’re vaccinated only because that may interfere with your ability even to know if you have any side effects,”
“I don’t think there have been any studies that say you can’t, but I would recommend to my patients not to drink alcohol the same day they’re vaccinated.”
Even after covid-19 vaccine, the vaccinee should continue to wear a face mask and follow social distancing when in public. This is for the safety of others. Besides, it is not certain whether the vaccinated person is fully protected from the disease or it is only protection for symptomatic disease.
Also older age group people and obese individuals should continue to adhere to safety measures for their own protection after covid-19 vaccine. This is because studies have shown that antibodies in these people might be lesser than others. Also, the vaccines might not protect against the variant strains of the deadly virus. Hence do not forget to follow social distancing and wearing of face masks even after the completion of the full dose of the vaccine.
Do’s after vaccination
Though it is advisable to not consume water immediately after the vaccine, one should be well hydrated to prevent dizziness or constipation. During the vaccine taking, wear appropriate clothing so that the site for the vaccine is accessible to the medical personnel. Get the jab on the non-dominant arm. This is so that arm pain will not affect your routine daily activities with the dominant arm.
If there is pain, one can take a pain relief drug but instead try first with ice packs. For fever, tepid sponging can be used.
One can mingle with other vaccinated people and be in small gatherings but it is still advisable to take precautions.
