Does drinking alcohol affect COVID-19 vaccine efficacy? - By Felicia
COVID-19 cases are rolling across the country at a record speed, but so are the vaccines. Due to this, people are asking whether alcohol affects the efficacy of the vaccine.
Once I saw this headline, I felt worried, but curious, so I made the decision to try to do some research. Does drinking alcohol affect COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, or is that just a myth? Let’s find out!
Experts around the world have offered various different opinions on the matter. Some say you must avoid drinking alcohol before receiving the vaccine, and others say alcohol consumption isn't an issue and will not affect the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
However, there's no specific proof, data or evidence that this motion is true, but it’s for a decent reason. In vaccine trials, and in research trials generally, when someone has extreme alcohol use, they'll be excluded from the trial for several reasons.
The problem is this. If a person is included who suffers severe alcoholism in a trial, and if this person has a severe problem, no one will know if the results are related to that serious pre-existing problem or if it’s related to the vaccine. This is why there’s no specific evidence on this.
However, this means that everybody, no matter how much alcohol they drink, should get vaccinated. Alcohol should not be a barrier - or an excuse, for that matter - to getting the COVID-19 vaccine.