Does alcohol impair immune response to Covid-19 vaccine?

As phase 2 of the Covid-19 vaccine roll out moves ahead, you might want to cool it on the celebrations once you’ve been vaccinated.

According to The Canadian Press, health professionals are urging people to think twice before celebrating with alcoholic beverages.

The abstention or reduction of alcohol would only be for a short period of time, advisably 24-48 hours before and after being vaccinated.

Ethyl alcohol, the principal ingredient in alcoholic beverages, is a depressant which is know for the effects that it has on the entire body after being consumed. It is also a diuretic, which means that it promotes the removal of fluids from your body by tricking your kidneys into releasing more liquids than you consume through your body’s renal system.

ALSO READ: Ban booze now, just in case, says alcohol policy group

If not enough water is consumed while you are drinking alcohol, then your body will become dehydrated very quickly. This is why doctors usually recommend patients drink a few glasses of water before they start drinking and a few glasses after they have had a few drinks. This significantly helps to counteract the levels of alcohol in your system.

Alcohol is known to worsen the symptoms of fatigue, muscle aches, headache and fever, which have proven to also be the side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Although there is no medical evidence that shows the effects alcohol may have on the Covid-19 vaccine and there are no official government recommendations, given the side effects associated with the vaccine it is advised to abstain from acholic beverages.