Coronavirus after vaccination: truth, myths and opinions of doctors

Against the background of the worsening epidemiological situation in St. Petersburg , the city authorities are calling on citizens to take an active part in vaccination against covid-19 . Meanwhile, information about the hospitalization of already vaccinated citizens began to appear in the media and social networks. Doctors in this regard recalled that the vaccine does not provide 100% protection against the disease, but this is the best way to insure yourself against complications and stop the pandemic.

In addition, the latest study of the Research Institute of Influenza. A.A. Smorodintsev of the Ministry of HEALTH of RUSSIA, conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Interdisciplinary Medical Research at the European University at St. Petersburg with the support of JSC Polymetal, showed that the vast majority of St. Petersburg residents vaccinated with Sputnik V effectively produce antibodies. Moreover, a stable immune response to covid is formed in those vaccinated during the first two months. However, the study also confirmed the fact that there is a small proportion of people in the population in whom the vaccine does not cause the production of specific antibodies.

RBC Petersburg asked experts why people end up in hospitals after vaccination and how high the chance of being among them is.

Dmitry Chentsov, DIRECTOR of the City Center for Medical Prevention:

“There is a risk of getting CORONAVIRUS after vaccination, as with flu immunization, for example. But, as practice shows, in 90% of cases a person is protected by vaccination against the disease. In the remaining 10% of cases, vaccination prevents a person from getting so seriously ill that the disease leads to serious complications or death.

Now, literally dozens of people, but not hundreds, are vaccinated among those hospitalized in St. Petersburg infectious diseases hospitals. Taking into account the fact that today in St. Petersburg we have crossed the threshold of 700 thousand people being vaccinated (the first component is ), their number is insignificant. But it is not clear how people would develop the disease without vaccination. Perhaps there would have been more severe consequences. There are also cases of re-infection with coronavirus in St. Petersburg, which suggests that a person’s own immunity does not always protect against the disease.

In any case, if we talk about the risk / benefit ratio of vaccination, then vaccination today is a clear guarantee that the vaccinated person will either not get sick, or get sick, but not in a severe form. The fact that after the vaccine there cannot be a severe form of the disease - a condition when a person is connected to an artificial lung ventilation device or a fatal outcome follows - has been proven at the world level. This conclusion was reached by the medical community after analyzing data on vaccination against coronavirus and other diseases.

Here is another argument in favor of vaccination. Some people are prone to autoimmune diseases. Let's say a person has periodic joint pain, but this does not prompt him to go to the DOCTOR, analyze rheumatoid factors, etc. But in fact, he may have some degree of an autoimmune disease. With COVID-19 disease, there is a high probability of the disease progressing with a hyperreaction (an aggressive immune response that can lead to death -). But the person did not know about it, he thought that without vaccination he would easily endure the coronavirus.”

Lev Averbakh, chief physician of the private emergency medical service "Coris":

“There are cases of hospitalization with coronavirus after vaccination - and this is not surprising. By autumn, the number of vaccinated COVID-19 cases in St. Petersburg may reach 50 thousand people, and this is absolutely normal! Because now about 550 thousand people in St. Petersburg have fully taken root. If we take 8-10%, which will not be affected by the vaccine (such a figure is stated by vaccine manufacturers), then just such an indicator is obtained. You need to understand that “covid” with a vaccine is not a general story.

The vaccine helps 92-94% of those vaccinated and 6-10% does not help. Some people get sick because they just haven't had time to develop immunity after the vaccine. It's a long story - it takes 21 days for antibodies to form after the first vaccine, then another 21 days after the second injection, and only then, after some time, immunity appears. It turns out that there are about two months when a vaccinated person can catch an infection. There are people who get sick after being vaccinated with two components.

Both the manufacturer of the vaccine, the Ministry of Health, and Rospotrebnadzor say that the vaccinated should observe the same anti-epidemic regime as the unvaccinated - wear masks, avoid close contact in the premises. This indirectly suggests that any vaccinated person can get sick - and it is not clear who exactly. It can't be calculated at all.

At the same time, it is incorrect to say that if a person is vaccinated, then he will definitely not get sick with a severe form of coronavirus or die from the disease. No such relationship has been established. After a person becomes infected, the disease in his body develops in its own way.

I want to note that in the entire history of vaccination has never led to 100% immunization of the entire population. There have always been cases when the vaccine did not work on a person or he did not receive the strength of immunity to resist infection. There are also reverse cases in world history. Bubonic plague is fatal, but we know cases where people have coped with this disease. The same rabies is a 100% fatal disease, but there are three cases in history when people survived after it without vaccination. Everyone's body is different - and vaccinations affect us differently, just as we tolerate diseases differently.

On the question of whether it is necessary to be vaccinated, if you can still get sick, opinions differ. Anyone who is looking for an answer to it, I would advise you to turn to Federal Law 323 “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation”, which states that everyone voluntarily makes a decision on medical intervention, having received complete and reliable information about it. I recommend that Petersburgers, first of all, get complete information about their health and, starting from it, make a decision on their own whether it is worth getting vaccinated against coronavirus.”

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