is to refrain from alcohol before going to take the COVID-19 vaccine and to watch themselves for some time after receiving the vaccine before taking alcohol.

Some studies have even found that over the longer term, small or moderate amounts of alcohol might actually benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation, according to a report in New York Times.

However, experts say heavy alcohol consumption particularly over the long term, can suppress the immune system and potentially interfere with the vaccine response.

Some of the first concerns about alcohol and COVID vaccination began circulating after a Russian health official warned in December that people should avoid alcohol for two weeks before getting vaccinated and then abstain for another 42 days afterward.

According to a Reuters report, the official claimed that alcohol could hamper the body’s ability to develop immunity against the novel coronavirus.

But the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has not issued specific official advice on whether people can drink before, between, or after vaccination.

“There is currently no evidence that drinking alcohol interferes with the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

“We would advise anyone concerned about this to talk to their healthcare professional,” the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the independent regulator in the UK said.

Also in Nigeria, neither the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control nor the National Primary Health Care Development Agency has issued specific official advice on whether you can drink before, between, or after your shots.  

NPHCDA on Tuesday said out of the 4.4 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines received in the country, 1,114, 408 million have been used to vaccinate 55.4 percent of the targeted eligible group.

Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, Tomori said alcohol has no direct effect on the COVID-19 vaccine.  

He explained, “I don’t think taking alcohol in moderation is a major problem after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Right now, there is no official answer to this question. 

“Although some doctors are recommending that people refrain from alcohol before and after taking the vaccine. But in the CDC listed medications to avoid before taking COVID-19, there is no mention regarding alcohol consumption.

“For me, don’t take alcohol before you go take the COVID-19 vaccine and after vaccination, watch yourself for some time before going to take alcohol. 

“Because we vary in what makes us drunk, so the best advice is to refrain from alcohol before going to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and immediately after receiving the vaccine.”

Director of the Center for Virus Research at the University of California, Irvine, who has researched the effects of alcohol on the immune response, Ilhem Messaoudi, said in a report in New York Times that there is no risk for moderate drinkers regarding the vaccine.

“If you are truly a moderate drinker, then there’s no risk of having a drink around the time of your vaccine.

“But be very cognizant of what moderate drinking really means. It’s dangerous to drink large amounts of alcohol because the effects on all biological systems, including the immune system, are pretty severe and they occur pretty quickly after you get out of that moderate zone”, Messaoudi said.

Clinical trials of the COVID vaccines that are currently approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration did not specifically look at whether alcohol had any impact on the effectiveness of the vaccines.

But experts in the United Kingdom recently warned that people should avoid drinking alcohol in the days before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

“You need to have your immune system working tip-top to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you’re drinking the night before, or shortly afterward, that’s not going to help,” Dr. Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, cautioned.

source: Punch