What if I take COVID-19 before receiving the 1st or 2nd dose of the vaccine?

SANTO ANTÓNIO – Many people are understandably eager to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but with the increase in cases now, some people end up taking COVID before receiving the first or second dose.

So how long does a person who has had the new coronavirus have to wait to get the vaccine? And what happens if you get sick with COVID between taking the first and second doses of the virus?

These are some of the most frequently asked questions from KSAT viewers and we got answers from Bexar County Metro Health employees, UT Health infectious disease specialist Ruth Berggren, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you take COVID-19, it does not mean that you will never receive the vaccine again, so it is recommended that you still have the vaccine.

CDC guidance: “Due to the serious health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that reinfection with COVID-19 is possible, you should be vaccinated, regardless of whether you have already had a COVID-19 infection.”

The CDC says you must wait 90 days to receive the vaccine if you have been treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

Metro Health recommends that anyone who has taken COVID-19 wait 90 days, even if they have not received these treatments because your body will have created antibodies that should fight the disease if you are exposed again within that time and those same antibodies can also fight the vaccine.

But what if you have had your first injection of the vaccine and then become ill with COVID-19 before receiving your second dose?

Health experts say, you still need to receive the second dose.

If you are scheduled to receive backup while you are ill, you will need to reschedule for when you feel better.

“We never immunize people if they have a fever or if they are not feeling well. People have known this since they are going to get the flu shot. This applies here too, ”said Berggren. “But what you should do if you are sick with COVID and you are between injection number one and the second, is to isolate yourself, take good care of yourself, make sure you are getting over the infection that you have no fever because you have the requirement of 10 days of isolation since the onset of symptoms. ”

When you are no longer infectious, you can do the injection. If you are not sure you are well enough, see a primary care physician.

“This may, in fact, delay the time of your second injection, but we don’t think it will affect the effectiveness of the vaccine,” said Berggren.