(Newser)
– Six days after an emergency nurse in San Diego was vaccinated for COVID-19, she became ill and tested positive for coronavirus. But while the story may sound alarming, health officials say such cases are to be expected and are not a cause for panic. The 45-year-old received the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two three-week doses on December 18, and began to feel unwell on Christmas Eve. There are several possible explanations, reports ABC News: He may have already been infected when he was vaccinated, because the incubation period can last up to two weeks or he could have been infected after he was shot.
“We know from clinical trials about the vaccine that it will take about 10 to 14 days for you to start developing protection against the vaccine,” says an infectious disease specialist. And after the first dose, it is estimated that this protection will reach about 50% – it could increase to 95% after the second dose. The specialist adds that he knows of other health workers who became infected during the vaccination. As for the nurse in question, 10 News reports that her symptoms peaked at Christmas and she tested positive at a test site the next day; she says she’s been feeling better ever since, but she’s still tired. (Read more stories about coronavirus.)