Mum has covid 4 weeks after vaccine

[Jj2431]

I'm clueless. My mum works for the NHS and had the jab a month ago but now has positive covid test. She's tired and lost sense of smell but so far doing ok. Does this mean the vaccine doesn't work or does it mean She's just unlikely to get very unwell with it? I'm so confused and worried and also feel hopeless about the vaccine now.

This happened to me and a number of my colleagues. We all work in a hospital and work on the Covid wards so have very high exposure to the virus. None of us had had the second dose, at the point of contracting Covid. It’s Sod’s law but no one was really poorly with it, so it’s possible that vaccine reduced the severity of it. Hope your mum isn’t too ill?

Thanks. Just catching up. It's the pfizer vaccine and at the moment she is just a little achey and has lost smell and taste.

Ugh. How many times do people need telling? The vaccine doesn't stop you getting covid. You shouldn't need people on Mumsnet to point that out for you surely?! It's all over the news, media, internet etc

I am really surprised that after the months and months of people talking about this vaccine people still dont know that it doesnt stop you getting the virus. It simple lessons your chances of it affecting you badly. We are still probably all going to get the actual virus, but it will probably affect most of us like the flu does once we have the vaccine.

Sorry your mum had Covid OP I get why you are worried as it’s your mum but don’t feel hopeless about the vaccine. It’s likely she will have mild symptoms and had built up some immunity. The vaccine will not stop people getting it unfortunately.

I also am at home with Covid at the moment after having the pfiezer 3 weeks ago and I work in a hospital so it’s not unusual.
Take care

Did she get both jabs ? I believe need two for high level protection

@PuzzledObserver

Re “it doesn’t stop you getting it” - not quite true.

When someone is exposed to the virus, there are four possible outcomes:

1. Don’t become infected (a PCR test would be negative)
2. Become infected (PCR positive) but asymptomatic
3. Become infected, mild symptoms, managable at home
4. Become infected, severe symptoms, need hospital care

The endpoint of the Pfizer trial was symptomatic infection - the combination of 3 and 4. It was shown to greatly reduce 3 and eliminate 4. But of those who showed no symptoms, we don’t know whether they were uninfected (1) or asymptomatic (2).

AZ also PCR tested participants regularly after vaccination, and confirmed that as well as the reduction in 3 and elimination of 4, the likelihood of a positive PCR test was reduced by 67% compared to the control group. Ergo, vaccinated people were less likely to become infected when exposed to the virus. Although Pfizer didn’t do this test, it seems likely all vaccines would have a similar effect.

So, vaccines DO prevent people from catching Covid, just not everyone. Once vaccinated, you are less likely to catch Covid. This is good news, because if you don’t have the virus in your system, you can’t pass it on. Vaccines reduce transmission!!

They also reduce the severity of disease. In the trials, no-one who had the vaccines were hospitalised or died. It’s unlikely that this 100% protection will be maintained across the whole population, but the number of vaccinated people who die of Covid should be tiny - hurray!!

And some people - maybe 2/3 of people - are completely protected from becoming infected at all.

Please note that the definition of “mild” in the trials is “not requiring hospital care.” You can still be pretty bloody miserable and not require hospital care.

Excellent summary

My partners grandad got the vaccine and died 2 weeks later of Covid. Not 100% effective with just one jab and can take weeks to build up effectiveness is what I heard.

@lorw it takes 2-3 weeks from having the jab to building antibodies and therefore getting any immunity.

I'm amazed at the number of people who don't understand this can happen.

@PuzzledObserver excellent summary. Now what I have been getting my head around is - when Pfizer gave a % efficacy are we comparing like with like vs the AZ % efficacy. Or are we comparing apples with pears? Which groups were each measuring 1-4?

Blessex yes to some extent we are comparing apples with pears, because efficacy was defined differently in the two trials and we can't go back and change that. We have to wait for more data to build up a more complete picture.

@Oblomov21

It's rare, but it happens. The vaccine, if you've only had the first dose, which it takes 3 weeks to kick in, is only supposed to stop you getting it so severely.

It’s not rare. There’s a statistical chance of not being protected which varies from vaccine to vaccine.

@PuzzledObserver

Re “it doesn’t stop you getting it” - not quite true.

When someone is exposed to the virus, there are four possible outcomes:

1. Don’t become infected (a PCR test would be negative)
2. Become infected (PCR positive) but asymptomatic
3. Become infected, mild symptoms, managable at home
4. Become infected, severe symptoms, need hospital care

The endpoint of the Pfizer trial was symptomatic infection - the combination of 3 and 4. It was shown to greatly reduce 3 and eliminate 4. But of those who showed no symptoms, we don’t know whether they were uninfected (1) or asymptomatic (2).

AZ also PCR tested participants regularly after vaccination, and confirmed that as well as the reduction in 3 and elimination of 4, the likelihood of a positive PCR test was reduced by 67% compared to the control group. Ergo, vaccinated people were less likely to become infected when exposed to the virus. Although Pfizer didn’t do this test, it seems likely all vaccines would have a similar effect.

So, vaccines DO prevent people from catching Covid, just not everyone. Once vaccinated, you are less likely to catch Covid. This is good news, because if you don’t have the virus in your system, you can’t pass it on. Vaccines reduce transmission!!

They also reduce the severity of disease. In the trials, no-one who had the vaccines were hospitalised or died. It’s unlikely that this 100% protection will be maintained across the whole population, but the number of vaccinated people who die of Covid should be tiny - hurray!!

And some people - maybe 2/3 of people - are completely protected from becoming infected at all.

Please note that the definition of “mild” in the trials is “not requiring hospital care.” You can still be pretty bloody miserable and not require hospital care.

Ah - your post is a breath of fresh air! Factual and well written- thank you

i dont understand why youre clueless

no vaccine is 100 percent none-which means you can still catch the virus youre vaccinated for like flu, covid etc

@Muskox yes that is what I think and am trying to work out which groups (1-4) Pfizer was measuring and which groups (1-4) AZ was measuring. I have an inkling that they are different and so it is not comparable to compare the two efficacy numbers if you see what I mean. Which is such a shame because that is what gets shouted about and I know for instance in Italy (I read an article in La Repubblica today) that vulnerable people are turning down the AZ vaccine and going home completely unprotected.

@Blessex the results are not directly comparable. With full access to all the data it may be possible to construct a comparison, but that’s beyond me, I’m afraid.

I would keep an eye on the Zoe study. They are inviting people to log when they’ve had a vaccine, and now asking which one you’ve had as well. In a few weeks, they will be able to compare efficacy of the two vaccines on a like for like basis - probability of positive PCR test, symptoms, severity, the lot.

I also caught a snippet of a video from Israel saying they are seeing evidence that Pfizer is reducing viral load in those who do become infected after vaccination, and less viral load means less viral shedding and therefore less risk of infecting others. This is seriously good news.

Has she only had one jab or both?

@PuzzledObserver that is so sad if that is the case and people are actively turning down a perfectly good vaccine because of politicians (hmmmm Macron) and the media reading the data in layman terms and therefore simplistically putting people off having the vaccine. And it is happening. I read first hand reports of it from Italy today.

Yes the data will keep coming out and we will learn more. I am happy that we are cracking on in the meantime and protecting people with both vaccines because I am positive that approach will be vindicated.

You're clueless, really?!

About one in ten people will catch covid if exposed once vaccinated. But the chances of getting seriously ill seem to be near zero which is the great news.

My mum has covid and some people are coming on here for a bitch at me behind a screen. If you aren't happy with my post don't comment
Thanks to everyone helpful x

The vaccine isn't 100% effective. It makes you less likely to get it. And if you do get it, you're less likely to be seriously ill and less likely to die. It's not impossible but it's far less likely than in an unvaccinated person. I'm sure your mum will recover soon :)

@jj2431 I hope your DM is ok and this thread calms you a little bit that she has had a dose of the vaccine 4 weeks ago

Did she get both doses of the vaccine?