Jab after you've had Covid

[BradleyCooperwillbemine]

Am I correct in thinking you have to wait 28 days after having covid before you can have a 2nd jab?

Yes

Does that mean you should be doing LFTs regularly first to try to make sure you haven't recently had it? I just got positive on an antibody test when I haven't had symptoms since March 2020 so mo clue when I had it.

@kowari

Does that mean you should be doing LFTs regularly first to try to make sure you haven't recently had it? I just got positive on an antibody test when I haven't had symptoms since March 2020 so mo clue when I had it.

The vaccine can cause a positive antibody test. If you've had your first one it could be that.

@tedsletterofthelaw
No, I haven't had a vaccine yet. Just Covid symptoms March 2020, no illness whatsoever since, positive for antibodies September 2020 and again June 2021, so I assume I must have had it at least twice. Just wondering how you would know if you'd had Covid in the last 28 days?

Why do you need to wait 28 days? What could happen if you've had asymptomatic Covid then get the vaccine soon after? Been trying to talk myself into booking the vaccine and now more anxious about it.

The antibodies could well be from March 2020. Nobody knows how long they can potentially last so you could be one of the lucky ones who still have them for a long time after infection.

You'll be fine for the vaccine. You've not had a positive PCR in the last 28 days so shouldn't be an issue at all.

I haven't had a negative PCR either though, I could have Covid now for all I know. I only knew the first time because I lost my sense of taste and smell, I was barely ill. Do antibodies last 15 months after very mild cases? The text I got said it was likely I'd had Covid in the last six months. If it's enough of a concern that you should wait 28 days then there's surely a reason for that?

@kowari

Why do you need to wait 28 days? What could happen if you've had asymptomatic Covid then get the vaccine soon after? Been trying to talk myself into booking the vaccine and now more anxious about it.

Nothing bad would happen if you had asymptomatic covid. If you did happen to have covid it would be a bit tricky to work out vaccine side effects from being ill. If you know you've had covid best to wait 28 days as that may improve the protection from the vaccine.

Also if you have antibodies it's unlikely to have been an extremely recent infection as they take a while to form.

Oh ok, I was worried it could mean I could be very unwell from the vaccine. A friend in her fifties is too scared to go for her second jab after her experience with the first. It's not reassuring.