Medical experts warn that people who want to take the COVID-19 vaccine should avoid drinking alcohol around the time of the shot, as alcohol can reduce the immune response to the vaccine.
What are the details?
According to a Monday report from the Daily Mail, dr. Ronx Ikhaira, an emergency medicine specialist, who conducted a recent experiment, determined that lymphocyte cells in researchers’ bodies decreased by as much as 50% after three glasses of alcoholic beverages.
“Alcohol alters the composition of the billions of microorganisms that live in the gut, which plays an important role in preventing the invasion of bacteria and viruses,” the outlet reported, pointing out that it “leads to damage to immune cells in the blood, known as white blood cells, including lymphocytes, which send out antibodies to attack viruses. ‘
Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, said that reducing lymphocytes ‘could lower the effectiveness of the body’s immune response’, the Daily Mail pointed out.
Due to the decrease in lymphocytes, Cruickshank advised people planning to take the vaccine to avoid alcohol within the immediate time leading up to and after the shot.
“You need to get your immune system working tiptop to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you drink it the night before or shortly after, it will not help,” Cruickshank said.
According to a team of scientists in Wuhan, China, lymphocytes are of ‘fundamental importance’ in the immune system because they determine the immune response to infectious microorganisms and other foreign substances, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. ”
What else?
In December, Russian scientists appealed to citizens who want a COVID-19 vaccine to avoid alcohol for at least two months.
Russia launched its own two-dose coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, in December – which it says is at least 95% effective – and issued the injection with a warning to citizens who want to suck: No alcohol for two months during the vaccination process.
Citizens are also asked not to take any immunosuppressive drugs during the course of treatment.
Anna Popova, head of the country’s organization for consumer safety dogs, said those receiving the vaccine should avoid alcohol for at least two weeks before the first shot and then for 42 days after the second shot, which is 21 days after the first shot. applied. shot.
“It’s a strain on the body,” Popova said. “If we want to stay healthy and have a strong immune response, you should not drink alcohol.”