Doctors bust myths, say vaccination doesn't cause Covid

BENGALURU: Those who lost their sense of smell and taste recently but did not get themselves tested for Covid-19 should ideally wait for three months to get vaccinated, said Dr V Ravi, virologist, member, State Covid Technical Advisory Committee.
At a webinar about 'Covid Vaccination - Myths and Facts' organised by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) on Friday, he added, "If anyone has experienced loss of smell and taste recently, it is 100% Covid infection even if they are not tested. All such persons, if eligible for vaccination, must postpone it by three months from the time of symptoms. They can get antibody test done to check part exposure to SARS-CoV." Dr Ravi said natural antibodies developed post-Covid can neutralise vaccine benefits.
Dr MK Sudarshan, chairperson, Covid Technical Advisory Committee, spoke about myths surrounding vaccination and the need to communicate facts to the public. "It's a myth that one should not consume alcohol after vaccination. Though it's generally recommended that people avoid alcohol consumption following vaccination, there are no rigid restrictions for social drinking. There is no contraindication to consumption of alcohol per se," he said, emphasising that no one should skip vaccination for the sake of alcohol.
Dr Sudarshan added that vaccination does not cause infection. "One cannot get Covid-19 from the vaccine because it does not contain the live virus," he said. If anyone has tested positive for Covid after vaccination, it means they were exposed to the virus and it was in the incubation period, he added.
Seconding that, Dr Ravi said the vaccine doesn't give the infection, but protects. "All vaccines released for emergency authorisation use are safe," he added.
Addressing the myth that many young people feel that being strong and healthy doesn't put them at risk of Covid complications and are therefore not getting vaccinated, Dr Sudarshan said that it was a self-presumed, no-risk status. "They can still contract the infection and spread it to others. Vaccination is important as it protects not only a person and her family but the community as well," he added.