Waiting For Coronavirus Vaccine? Get Ready To Forgo Alcohol Before Getting A Vaccine Shot

by Shatakshi Gupta

In Russia, the government has advised not to drink alcohol before and after the Corona vaccine. Russia’s deputy Prime minister Tatiana Golikova has claimed that the Sputnik V corona vaccine takes effect in 42 days.  Till then people need to refrain from consuming alcohol. In Russia, the government has issued this warning about Sputnik, but this applies to all vaccines.

Also read: COVID-19 Vaccine Shows 90% Effectiveness In Phase-3 Trials, Claims Pfizer

 What does Russia’s advisory say?

 The statement by Anna Popova, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well Being for surveillance has sparked a controversy. He said in an interview to a radio in Russia that people should not drink alcohol until two weeks before the first dose of the vaccine and three weeks after the second shot. A three-week gap is being maintained between the two doses. If you add it, then for a total of 8 weeks one must stay away from ale.

 Why and how much alcohol is bad?                          

 Alexander, the head scientist of Russia, heads the Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Department of Microbiology in Gintzburg Moscow. The same institute has created the Sputnik V vaccine. They say that drinking alcohol after taking the Corona vaccine may weaken the immune response and may end the effect of the vaccine. We recommend not to consume alcohol for at least three days after every dose.

Corroborated with a research

 Research was conducted in Sweden in 2012 to find out how bad the wine is for the vaccine. In this, the vaccine of the bacterial pneumonia was given to the drinkers, then there was no immune response in them.  Researchers attributed the intake of average 30 ml alcohol to this. 

Also read: Are N95 masks effective in preventing the transmission of the coronavirus?

At the same time, Gintzburg claims that 300 ml of vodka weakens the process of making antibodies in the body. But if you take a glass of champagne then it will not be bad for you.

 Gintzburg says that we are not talking about prohibition during the vaccinations, but alcohol consumption should be limited during this period

 Did any data appear in the trials?

 Trials of the Sputnik V vaccine showed that immunity did not increase in 10% of people. Similar numbers have also been found in the case of other vaccines. The reasons for this have not been revealed so far. It can also be caused by alcohol and its investigation is necessary.

 The number of studies that have been conducted so far on the relationship between alcohol consumption and the immune system suggests that too many alcohol drinkers are more at risk of infection. Their immunity is also weak. Immunologist Eleanor Riley of the University of Edinburgh in the UK said that drinkers have many problems and weak immune function is one of them.

 What are the experts saying in India?

 Experts in India say that consuming alcohol is harmful and it can cause serious diseases, there is nothing new in this. The instructions that Russia has issued are of a general nature. They should be taken care of.  Dr. Praveen Gupta, director and head of the neurology department of Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, told a news agency that the effect of the vaccine would be understood only after two months. So in this case it would be good to take precautions.

At the same time, Dr. Jyoti Matta, Senior Consultant in the subject of Microbiology at Shri Balaji Action Medical Institute, New Delhi, says that the statements made in Russia are to increase the strong immune response in the body after vaccination. Till now we are not aware of the side-effects of Sputnik vaccine. We will also have to see in detail the extent to which the effect of the vaccine is eliminated by drinking alcohol.