How long should you wait to get vaccinated after infection?

Veronica Zapana S. / La Paz

After defeating Covid-19, a person must wait at least a month to receive the vaccine in the corresponding dose (first, second or third). Specialists ask to wait that time to achieve the necessary immunity.

“People who have had the disease should not get the vaccine before a month of being cured,” Róger Carvajal, an emeritus researcher at the Seladis Institute of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), explained to Página Siete.

The specialist assured that this pause before receiving the vaccine is prudent, because the disease also generates antibodies. “If you have antibodies from the infection and you get the vaccine early, those antibodies neutralize the vaccine and, therefore, it no longer has its immunity-inducing effect,” Carvajal explained.

The head of the Epidemiology Unit of the Departmental Health Service (Headquarters) department of La Paz, Miguel Quispe, indicated that the application of the vaccine should be carried out when the person is completely in good condition.

“The evolution of the disease has changed. Before, with the original variant, the pathology lasted 21 days, plus the incubation period, that is, from when the person was infected until they began to show symptoms. However, now with the Delta variant it has been reduced to five days,” the official explained.

The time between the person having the symptoms (fever, cough and chills, among others) and then recovering is seven days. In most patients, the disease is mild, that is to say that it now lasts 14 days”, said the specialist.

The doctors explained that after recovering from covid and not having any discomfort, the person must wait a month to receive the vaccine.

“He must be fully recovered, otherwise he could have health complications,” Quispe said.

The head of Epidemiology at Sedes La Paz explained that many people also present symptoms of Long Covid-19, that is, the disease becomes chronic. “In those cases, the person should consult their doctor when it would be most prudent to receive the vaccine,” he said.

“There are people who after spending 14 days continue with a cough. They still cannot be vaccinated, they must wait until they fully recover because as long as they have a cough they can be contagious, although with a very low viral load, ”said the specialist.

Quispe added that whether it is the first, second or third booster dose, the person must be completely recovered from the disease.

The president of the Scientific Committee on Immunology, Adalid Zamora, indicated that the period for immunization after covid was reducing.

He assured that before the vaccine had to be applied three months after having recovered from the coronavirus, a period that was later reduced to two and now to one month.

“Furthermore, the latest theory details that it is not necessary to wait so long, it is only necessary to wait a week after having recovered,” said the consulted immunologist.

The expert added that it is not even necessary for the person to be tested and to be negative, since many people go for diagnostic tests and may be prone to re-infection.

For this reason, Zamora declared that it is important that the person counts the days of recovery and feels in good health.

“From that moment (of being discharged) you must count the seven days of recovery,” said the specialist.

The doctor indicated that if the person receives the vaccine and is not well recovered, they will suffer “headache or fever”, but it will not be known for sure “if it is due to the adverse effects of the vaccine or due to the disease. ”.

Zamora and Quispe indicated that the same recommendation is aimed at children.

“They must also wait that same period and must be completely healthy before receiving the corresponding dose of the vaccine,” Zamora said.

The immunologist also explained, with respect to the people who received the vaccine and became infected after three days, that “this does not mean that the vaccine caused the disease or that it had no effect, but rather that that individual became infected during the time in that the antibodies have not yet been generated,” explained Zamora.

The specialist added that the antibodies are generated only 20 days after completing the vaccination scheme against the coronavirus.

children must wait
30 days for the vaccine.

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