Nica Richards

By Nica Richards

Journalist


WATCH: Want to get vaccinated? You might have to stay away from booze

Healthcare professionals are beginning to advise their patients to be stone cold sober when they get their Covid-19 jabs. 


Could it be that there was method to the bans of alcohol sales, which frustrated South Africans for most of the past year? Well, not quite, but if you want to get vaccinated, some medical professionals are suggesting a few more days of sobriety.

The alcohol and hospitality industries are still reeling from months of being throttled with offsite consumption sales, after the government announced its first ban on booze last year. 

ALSO READ: Vaccinated Gauteng health MEC tests positive for Covid-19

A hard, dry lockdown ensued, something few will forget, unless they had access to liquor. 

Since then, intermittent bans on alcohol sales, both on and offsite, have continued to put industries and citizens on edge. 

But was there any method to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s madness? Could she foresee the potential effects alcohol could have on the Covid-19 jab? 

A video by The Canadian Press has emerged, suggesting that although there is no evidence to suggest that alcohol can affect your vaccination against Covid-19, a number of healthcare professionals are beginning to advise their patents to be stone cold sober when they get their jabs. 

However, this advice is nowhere near as extreme as a fully fledged ban. It is a mere suggestion, to be implemented 24 to 48 hours before and after being vaccinated. 

ALSO READ: Government’s booze ban argument no longer holds water, says alcohol body

This is because alcohol dehydrates the body, has a host of nasty side-effects, and is a diuretic. 

It is becoming increasingly accepted to stop drinking when your jab is on the way. 

Lucky for South Africans, they can probably continue to enjoy booze, with slow vaccine rollouts, especially when compared to the rest of the world. 

Watch the video below.

This video is no longer available.

 

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