A nurse in San Diego has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, a reminder that 2021 might have more in common with 2020 than we think.
What happened?
San Diego nurse Matthew W. received the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 18. His only side effect from the vaccine was arm soreness, ABC News reports.
- Six days later, Matthew experienced chills, muscle pain and fatigue after working a shift in the COVID-19 unit.
- He later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Why did this happen?
Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, told KGTV that patients don’t have protection from COVID-19 right away. In fact, it takes between 10 and 14 days for full protection.
- And, Ramers said, patients need a second dose of the vaccine to have full protection against the virus.
- “That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50%, and you need that second dose to get up to 95%,” Ramers said.
There’s also an outside possibility that the doctor had COVID-19 before he was vaccinated since it can take 10 to 14 days to incubate in someone’s system.
So what should you do?
Ramers said people shouldn’t let their guard down even after they get the vaccine, according to the New York Post.
- “You hear heath practitioners being very optimistic about it being the beginning of the end, but it’s going to be a slow roll, weeks to months as we roll out the vaccine,” the specialist said.