A California nurse tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week after receiving the vaccine, although medical experts say the timeline is not uncommon.
EH nurse Matthew W., who works in two different hospitals in San Diego, received the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 18 and initially reported arm pain for a day, KGTV reported.
The 45-year-old nurse then felt ill after working in the COVID-19 unit seven days later on Christmas Eve.
The nurse had classic symptoms such as fatigue, chills and body aches. Two days later, Matthew was tested at a drive-up hospital and his results were positive for the coronavirus, the outlet said.
Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist at San Diego’s Family Health Centers, told KGTV it’s a possibility that Matthew caught the virus before he got the shot, as it takes about two weeks for the first dose of the vaccine to take effect.
“We know from the clinical trials of vaccines that it will take about 10 to 14 days for you to start developing protection against the vaccine,” Ramers said. “We think that first dose will give you somewhere around 50 percent, and you need that second dose to get to 95 percent.”
Ramers added that people should not be wary, even if they have been vaccinated, and should continue to follow protocols such as washing hands and wearing masks throughout the pandemic.
“You hear health professionals who are very optimistic that it’s the beginning of the end, but it’s going to be a slow roll, weeks to months as we roll out the vaccine,” the specialist said.