US nurse tests COVID-19 positive days after receiving Pfizer vaccine

WASHINGTON: An ICU nurse in San Diego, who had received Pfizer Inc vaccine's shot against COVID-19 on December 18, has tested positive for the virus.

Matthew W, a 45-year-old nurse in San Diego, told ABC News San Diego affiliate KGTV that after receiving the vaccine he had only experienced arm soreness as a side-effect of the vaccine but six days later after working a shift in the COVID-19 unit, he had chills, muscle pain and fatigue. A coronavirus test confirmed him of being positive.

Following this incident, Dr Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, told KGTV that this was not unexpected as "We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it is going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection from the vaccine".

"That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50 per cent, and you need that second dose to get up to 95 per cent," Ramers further stated.

There is another possibility that the nurse likely contracted COVID-19 before the vaccination but did not rule out the opposite, the expert added.