COVID-19 can cause severe illness or death, which is very apparent having lived through the Covid pandemic over the past year and witnessing the onset of the more severe second wave. You can also spread COVID-19 to others, including family who may not be able to withstand the infection as well as you. And, some people continue to have long-term health issues after COVID-19 infection. The Covid-19 vaccine is a vital component in our armamentarium to fight the Covid pandemic.
First and foremost, it is important to know that people suffering from heart diseases are the ones who need the Covid vaccine the most. It is an established fact that people with co-morbidities fare poorly when infected with the Covid-19 virus. These co-morbidities include hypertension as well as heart diseases like heart failure, coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathies and history of having undergone angioplasty or bypass surgery. Therefore, people with heart disease should not hesitate at all in getting themselves vaccinated, whatever may be their age.
Most patients with heart disease are on some kind of blood-thinners, and there is a lot of misconception in the minds of the people that blood-thinners should be stopped before taking the Covid vaccine. It is important to clarify certain points regarding this.
- Majority of the heart patients are on blood-thinners like Aspirin or Clopidogrel, which are antiplatelet medications and which NEED NOT be stopped before or after the vaccination.
- There are some patients who may be on anticoagulants like Warfain or Acitrom or the so-called newer oral anti-coagulants (NOAC) and which may be required to be stopped for a day or two before the vaccine jab. It is best that you ask your treating physician who would guide you appropriately.
The heart patients should continue to take all their regular medicines when they go to take their vaccine shot.
If you have a history of severe allergy to any medications, then it may be better to get a green signal from your doctor before going ahead with the vaccination.
In most cases, there is no need to do any tests before and after taking the vaccine.
Majority of the heart patients will have no side-effects after the vaccination. Some may have symptoms of pain and swelling on the arm where the shot was given, and tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea. These are temporary and usually go away in a few days. Patients should seek medical care if their symptoms don’t go away. Crores of people around the world have taken the Covid vaccine till now and only a very miniscule fraction of these have reported serious side-effects. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine.
The full immunity after the vaccination is apparent only 2 to 4 weeks after the second dose. Also, the vaccines give 70-80% protection against the Covid infection. Therefore, you can get the Covid infection even after having been vaccinated. But, it is reassuring to know that the chances of getting a severe Covid infection and the associated complications, is very less after being fully vaccinated. You can however continue to transmit the infection to others. That is why it is very important that you should continue adhering to Covid-appropriate behavior which is masking and maintaining physical distance, even after taking both the vaccine doses.
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