On March 28, Facebook user Shore Shanidze published a post, according to which 70 doctors tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving Pfizer vaccines in Lithuania. The author refers to the article titled “Over 70 doctors contracted COVID-19 at a Lithuanian clinic after receiving Pfizer vaccines” published on nesnilo.com as the source of information.
In fact, no links between contracting COVID-19 and getting Pfizer vaccine by Lithuanian doctors have been confirmed, because the doctors had apparently got infected prior to being vaccinated. Moreover, it takes human body several weeks to build an immune response after getting a vaccine.
Professor Ligita Jančorienė, head of the Centre of Infectious Diseases of Vilnius University Hospital, said that the doctors had apparently been infected at the moment of vaccination. She clarified that vaccination may provide some protection around 12 days after the first dose is given, reducing the risk of catching infection by 20%.The Lithuanian Professor noted that it is not yet decided whether the infected doctors will receive their second doses. They first need to get tested for antibodies to the coronavirus and only afterwards, the decision will be made based on test results.
Another instance of contracting the coronavirus following vaccination was reported in the United States in December 2020 after a 45-year-old nurse in California tested positive for COVID-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, said that the scenario was not unexpected because patients do not immediately develop COVID-19 protection after being vaccinated. It is going to take about 10 to 14 days for a person to start to develop protection from the Pfizer vaccine. The infectious disease specialist also noted that the first dose gives a person around 50% protection and the second dose – up to 95%.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity, while two doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are needed to trigger effective immune response. Moderna vaccine efficacy is achieved in 14 days after the second dose and Pfizer efficacy – in 7 days after the second dose. “That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick,” CDC added.
During clinical trials, Pfizer showed 95% protection and Moderna – 94.1% protection. It means that they do not have 100% efficacy and there are going to be some people who are not protected, even by two doses of the vaccine.
Archive link of Shore Shanidze’s post
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
