Coronavirus: “No problem”: Drinking does not affect the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors say

Toronto-As the first COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out across Canada, questions were raised as to whether drinking affected people’s immune response to shots.

Experts around the world have expressed different opinions on this issue. Some say that drinking should be avoided before receiving the vaccine, while others say that alcohol consumption is not an issue and does not affect the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

There are no specific data on the COVID-19 vaccine, moderate alcohol use, and alcoholism, but for good reason, says Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a Toronto physician and clinical researcher.

“In vaccine trials and general research trials, if someone is quite extreme [alcohol] If you use it, you will be excluded from the trial for several reasons, “Gorfinkel explained in a telephone interview with CTV News.ca on Saturday.

“The problem is this. If you include a person with severe alcoholism in a clinical trial, you run the risk of not knowing if that person has liver failure or severe problems … I don’t know. [the results] Is it related to that serious existing problem, or is it related to the vaccine I just gave them? “

Goffinkel emphasized that “no matter how much alcohol you drink,” everyone should be vaccinated.

“Alcohol should not be a barrier to vaccination,” she said.

Alcoholism is associated with several comorbidities that lead to problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease “beyond cirrhosis,” and increases the risk of alcoholism, Goffinkel explained.

“COVID-19 is associated with comorbidities, which are hand in hand with alcohol,” she said.

“Patients at high risk for COVID-19 … The enlightened question is where is your greater risk? Is it due to vaccination or is it your natural illness?” She said. It was.

“And the answer is that it’s clearly inherited. The damage from vaccination is small.”

This is reflected in the fact that infectious disease expert Dr. Abdu Shakawi called concerns about alcohol intake and the COVID-19 vaccine “theoretical.”

“Obviously, an overdose of alcohol has a wide range of adverse health effects, including the possibility of immune dysfunction,” Sharkawy said in an email to CTV News.ca on Saturday.

“Theoretically, this can adversely affect the response to the vaccine or reduce the likelihood of an immune response, but there is no strong evidence to support this,” he said. ..

Sharkawy said that if the questions about alcohol and COVID-19 vaccines that you might see online are not clear to be “more than anything else,” people may be discouraged from vaccination. Was announced.

And for those who are casual alcohol consumers, Goffinkel said there is a “zero” problem, whether or not they take it just before vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine.

“No problem. If it’s available to everyone, whether they have a glass of wine or something, it won’t have a significant impact on the immune response to vaccination,” she said.

Concerns about alcohol that exacerbate the allergic reaction when vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine through vasodilation or vasodilation were similarly dismissed by both Gorfinkel and Sharkawy.

“With the millions of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines given so far, allergic reactions are extremely rare and have not been identified as being associated with alcohol consumption,” Shakawi wrote in an email.

“As soon as there is vasodilation that increases local histamine,” Goffinkel said, “the association is not the cause.”

“There is a theoretical connection. There is theory and practice … and what do you guess? It’s not a predictor of allergic reactions,” she said.

Gorfinkel said anyone worried about alcohol intake regarding COVID-19 vaccination should consult a doctor.