COVID-19 is a powerful sickness, we do not know all about it yet, but we do know for sure that the coronavirus vaccine is our best shot towards being safe again and ending the pandemic. The vaccine will improve your immune system and cause a better antibody reaction in case you have exposure to the virus, it will not only protect you but also stop the spread of the sickness.
The vaccine is needed even for people who have already had COVID-19 since natural immunity only lasts a few months and will not protect you against variants of the virus. Getting vaccinated is the safest choice.
If you already had COVID-19, you must wait until you are fully recovered to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Why do I need to wait until I am fully recovered to get the Coronavirus vaccine?
There are many reasons to wait. First, because vaccination centers or campaigns are full of healthy people getting the vaccine to try and go back to their jobs or families and, by going to those centers while you have the symptoms, you could start spreading the virus again in that community. You would be putting a lot of people and health providers in danger.
Then, because the vaccine will not work the same way in a body who is already fighting that virus; your immune response to the vaccine would not be clear to see, and neither you or the doctors would know for sure if you are experiencing symptoms or secondary effects, which could be worse if your body is already weakened by the attack of the virus.
When am I considered to be fully recovered?
Opinions still vary a little on when a person is considered fully recovered due to the lack of symptoms in some people who test positive and who can still transmit the disease.
Some experts consider a patient to be fully recovered after 14 days since the symptoms appeared, some others add that to be fully recovered, you must have at least 24 hours without fever (and without fever medications) and with improvement of every other symptom. There are opinions that request 24 hours without symptoms at all to consider a patient to be fully recovered.
The common ground specifies that you need improvement of your initial symptoms, and you need to wait for at least 14 days after they initially appeared. In case that you do not have symptoms, you can either take a test, or ideally wait for 14 days after your last exposure to the virus in order to get the vaccine.
These specifications apply for the first or second dose. This means that if you get exposed or sick after your first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, you must wait until you are fully recovered to get your second dose.
There is an exception to these rules. If you already got sick with the disease and you received treatment with plasma or monoclonal antibodies, you must wait 90 days after recovering from COVID-19 to get vaccinated.
Although these treatments are very useful to help you fight the virus, it could affect the way your body responds to the vaccine, so you need to wait until it is out of your system.
Keep in mind that in FORMÉ Medical Center, we have the best team available for you. We have doctors that can explain everything about the vaccine and provide advice on when to get it. We are constantly having vaccination campaigns. To learn more about our COVID-19 services or to get information regarding our immunization campaigns, you can visit our webpage https://formemedicalcenter.com/ or give us a call at 914 723 4900.
