04/03/2021 1:16
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 04/03/2021 1:20 AM
The news that President Alberto Fernández tested positive for coronavirus rekindled doubts about the efficacy of vaccines to prevent infections.
Shortly after the president reported that he tested positive for Covid, many recalled that he had received the first dose of Sputnik V on January 21.
Therefore, the question that arose on the networks was: Can someone who was immunized get the virus?
Today I received the Sputnik V vaccine. I thank the Gamaleya Institute for its scientific work, those who worked so that it reaches us and all the health personnel of our country for their enormous commitment.
Getting vaccinated serves to be immune against the coronavirus.
Let's do it.
pic.twitter.com/Eb21kQy25A
- Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) January 21, 2021
As Clarín said in a note published on March 23, receiving the coronavirus vaccine
is not synonymous with
absolute
immunity
.
While it provides protection, especially to prevent a
serious condition from
developing
, the possibility of infection is still present.
For that reason, the infectologists consulted by
Clarín
remarked to sustain the precautions even after applying the two doses.
“It does not have to do only with taking care of one, but also with not infecting another.
The vaccinated can have the disease mildly or even without symptoms, "warned the infectologist Eduardo López, head of the Department of Medicine at Hospital Gutiérrez.
There are two aspects to take into account related to vaccines: global efficacy, which has to do with the possibility of avoiding the spread of the virus;
and the efficacy related to preventing serious disease, that is, a severe condition that requires hospitalization does not develop, involves pulmonary involvement and may lead to admission to intensive care.
“The effectiveness of vaccines against the coronavirus is not uniform.
Sputnik V, for example, achieves an overall efficacy of 91.6% after applying the two doses.
In contrast, Sinopharm's has 79%.
Meanwhile, the Covishield is located around 70% ”, said López when asked by this newspaper.
Arnaldo Casiró, head of the Infectious Diseases Service at Hospital Álvarez, agreed that the message to be transmitted is that those vaccinated should continue to take care of themselves.
"Having a mild picture of the infection, spreading the disease as if it were the flu, the person can infect.
The vaccinated with moderate symptoms may think that, because they consider themselves immunized, they are suffering from some other virus, but this is not necessarily the case: they
can have Covid and transmit it,
”said Casiró.
Something similar, explained Casiró, happens with the flu vaccine.
“Every year we give ourselves a new dose because the strain is mutating.
The vaccine helps prevent serious illness, but the person can still experience a mild flu picture and spread it, "he said.
The overall efficacy percentage of the influenza vaccine is between 50% and 70%.
"What must be understood is that these vaccines do not prevent the entry of the virus into the body, what they do is help it not reproduce rapidly," said Casiró.
The situation is different with other vaccines that have greater efficacy and for which herd immunity has already been obtained.
Such is the case of immunization against Polio, Hepatitis A and B and Measles.
LM