Can you eat meat, drink or smoke after getting the jab?

Can you eat meat, drink or smoke after getting the jab?

As the vaccination drive gains popularity, manifold post-vaccine care instructions, scientific and otherwise, are fed to the people.

Published: 22nd March 2021 03:21 AM | Last Updated: 22nd March 2021 

Health workers advising people before taking swab samples at Rajiv Gandhi GH | DEBADATTA MALLICK

By Sushmitha Ramakrishnan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: As the vaccination drive gains popularity, manifold post-vaccine care instructions, scientific and otherwise, are fed to the people. Given that many of these instructions seem extremely common, separating disinformation from official guidelines has become hard.

Rajendran, a 62-year-old farmer who got his first jab of vaccination at a rural Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Chengalpattu, a week ago was advised not to drink after he got his second jab. “I was told the vaccine won’t work if I drink,” he said. Meanwhile, in the heart of Chennai, Kalyan*, a journalist in his thirties was informed by the nurse administering the vaccine that he should not drink, smoke or eat meat for 48 hours. His friend, who was vaccinated at an affluent private hospital, was advised to not drink or “eat any non-vegetarian food,” for a week.

So, which advice is right and what should people follow? First things first, there are no dietary restrictions advised by the government along with the vaccine so far. “There are no tangible scientific studies that have shown that non-vegetarian food makes the vaccine ineffective. So people need not stop eating meat to get the vaccine,” said State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan. Also, there are no approved scientific studies that quantifies the effect of alcohol or smoking on vaccination either.

However, this does not mean it is advisable to get drunk to celebrate getting the first jab. Here’s why: Vaccinations often cause mild flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache and nausea. Alcohol tends to aggravate and worsen these symptoms making the experience unpleasant for those getting vaccinated. “Alcohol also affects the body’s immune system negatively and there is a chance that the immune response to the vaccine may not be as effective if there is excessive alcohol in the system,” said Dr P Kuganantham, senior epidemiologist and a member of the State Special Task Force against Covid-19.

“One may feel less sick if they avoid drinking and smoking a week before and after getting the vaccine,” he recommended. The same is true of tobacco consumption. It tends to affect the immune system and therefore may render the vaccine relatively less effective. While the correlation has not been scientifically studied, it is known that smoking does worsen the risk associated with Covid-19 itself.

Kuganantham said that scientifically, there is few pre- and post-vaccination care some people should take. “People on steroids and blood thinners can stop their medications for two days before and two days after the jab to prevent adverse side-effects. If someone has had an anapholatic shock to a vaccine, they should inform their physician and be more careful,” he said. He added that the most important thing to do post-vaccination is to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distance and avoid touching surfaces.