Home South African Wait 30 days after Covid-19 infection to be vaccinated – Health Dept

Wait 30 days after Covid-19 infection to be vaccinated – Health Dept

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The Department of Health has recommended that those who have been infected with Covid-19 should wait 30-35 days after their symptoms have cleared before they receive their vaccine.

Afrocentric have the private vaccination centre where they vaccinate front line workers and adults over the age of 60 at the Afrocentric offices in Roodepoort West of Johannesburg. Healthcare worker Daniel Swart being vaccinated by Nurse Sinqobile Luvuno at the centre. Photo: Simphiwe Mbokazi/Africannewsagency (ANA).

The Department of Health has recommended that those who have been infected with Covid-19 should wait 30-35 days after their symptoms have cleared before they receive their vaccine.

Acting Health Minister Mamoloko Kubayi said during an online media briefing on Friday that a number of healthcare workers have reported cases where people with an active Covid-19 infection have presented themselves to vaccination sites, requesting to receive a shot.

“You can’t take the jab when you’re already Covid-19 positive. You need to be able to wait until you’ve passed the stage where you no longer have it. There’s also a waiting period between after you’ve tested positive and display symptoms, and this is, as I understand, between 30-35 days,” she said.

“The vaccine won’t assist you when you already test positive, in terms of preventing severe illness. That’s why we advise people to make sure that they are not positive and that’s why there is screening on site.”

Kubayi said she has received reports where people have passed away from side effects after receiving the vaccine while they had an active Covid-19 infection.

“There is a need for investigation. To check whether there is a link between the vaccination and the death of the person. Because they are picking up that some of the people who have passed away had Covid-19 and received a vaccine when they didn’t know that they were positive,” she said.

The Department of Health Deputy director-general Dr Anban Pillay has been tasked by Kubayi to investigate the matter.

A number of health organisations and experts have advised that people should get vaccinated only after they have fully recovered from Covid-19.

Dr Jinal Bhiman, principal medical scientist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says that while breakthrough infections are still possible after vaccination, the chances of severe illness are drastically reduced following the shot.

“Even after you have had Covid-19, vaccination boosts the antibodies, which may have waned since your infection and these antibodies can help prevent future infections or at the very least, severe illness,” she said.

People who have recovered from Covid-19 can develop antibodies to the virus and can have immunity that lasts for a number of months, however, scientists are not able to determine how long natural immunity will last.

According to the United State’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even if a person has already recovered from the virus, it is possible — although rare — that they could be infected again.

Wits University’s infectious diseases Professor Francois Venter said that various studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from the coronavirus.

“We are not sure how much protection getting infection gives. It is actually possible the vaccine isn’t necessary — but it is very unlikely to harm, and the virus is so, so vicious, I think it’s worth chancing the additional protection,” he said.

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