Russia has started administering COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens, but Russians are not fully happy with it after a health official warned them not to drink alcohol weeks before and after receiving Sputnik V.
According to a report by Reuters on Wednesday, anyone getting the vaccine against COVID-19 with the Russian vaccine called Sputnik V should give up alcohol for almost two months. However, this was contradicted by the vaccine's developer by saying that a glass of champagne would not hurt even the immune system.
This warning was not received well by the Russians who are known to be one of the heavy drinkers around the world, although this has gradually decreased since 2003.
Don't Mix the Vaccine With Alcohol
Russia's consumer health watchdog head Anna Popova said on national radio last December 8, that those who received Sputnik V should not drink alcoholic beverages for two weeks before their first injection and should stay sober for an additional six weeks after that.
According to her, it is important not to mix the vaccine with alcohol to ensure a strong immune response. Reports said that there should be 21 days interval between the two shots of Sputnik V.
Elena Kriven, a Moscow resident has voiced her concern regarding this warning. "I reckon the stress on the body of giving up alcohol, especially during what is a festive period, would be worse than the (side effects of the) vaccine and its alleged benefits," Kriven told Reuters.
She was referring to the New Year public holiday in which Russians spend the first ten days of the new year (2021) chilling at home or abroad. This period is very much associated with higher alcohol use, especially among the Russians who are known to be heavy drinkers.
One Facebook user even wrote that Popova should have instead spoken about alcohol reduction as it is impossible for most Russians to follow her advice.
Another user also said that even he will not sign up despite drinking rarely because having a drink during the New Year public holiday is a sacred tradition for them. Meanwhile, some said that the contradictory advice of Popova and their experience shows that there is no need to follow her recommendations.
Too Extreme an Advice
Popova's advice was met with skepticism and negative reactions from the Russians. However, the citizens were not the only ones voicing their contradictions on Popova.
Both the Russian and American vaccine experts said that the advice was too extreme. Even Sputnik V's developer, Alexander Gintsburg, said on his Twitter post using the Sputnik V account that "one glass of champagne won't hurt anyone."
But on another tweet, Ginstburg recommended abstaining from alcohol use three days before and after each shot of any vaccine and not just Sputnik V, ScienceAlert reported.
The executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at John Hopkins University, Wiliam Moss, said that there is no enough evidence or data to support this claim.
"There's no evidence that, if you have one beer or a glass of wine a couple of days after you get your vaccine, that's going to interfere with your immune response or protection following the vaccine," Moss said.
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