Although the success of vaccination campaigns in our country have greatly reduced the severity of the coronavirus pandemic at the health level, it is important to remember that the vaccine , as with any other, does not protect 100% of the possibility of contracting the virus.
A health worker prepares a vaccine against the coronavirus at the Gregorio Marañón hospital in Madrid.
For this reason, and although the picture in vaccinated people is usually much less serious than in people who are not vaccinated (and only very rarely does it require hospital admission), it is very important to be attentive to symptoms that could indicate that we are infected in order to corroborate this suspicion with an adequate test and take the appropriate measures (mainly isolation). Especially considering that infected vaccinated people can transmit the virus.
What are the most common symptoms?
The typical symptomatic picture in vaccinated people is somewhat different from that in unvaccinated people, and is markedly milder. Common signs in this population group include excess mucus and headaches (symptoms that are also common in other infections such as colds , so it is advisable to have tests if we develop them to rule out covid), which can appear in occasions together with others such as sneezing, choking sensation and dry cough.
Child with cold
The most indicative symptom, however (and although it should not be forgotten that it does not occur in all cases) is the loss of the senses of smell and / or taste . If this sign coincides with one or more of those that we have previously described, it is very likely that the infectious agent is SARS-CoV-2.
On the other hand, symptoms similar to those caused by the vaccine may also occur, with muscle pain, fatigue and nausea . However, this is rarer among people already vaccinated.
The Importance of Continuing Precautions
Despite the fact that, as we have already pointed out, the severity of most covid-19 infections has greatly decreased thanks to the immunity acquired by the majority of the Spanish population through vaccination campaigns, it is important not to guard down.
Vaccination against Covid-19 and influenza in Seville
Vaccines not only reduce the severity of the disease in those infected, but also make the probability of becoming infected much lower and that the transmissibility of the virus also drops ( because vaccinated people have a lower viral load and shorter contagious periods ).
However, all this puts evolutionary pressure on the virus, which can increase its ability to mutate into more infectious forms (such as beta and delta variants ) to increase its chances of survival in its human hosts.
In fact, there are several experts who had predicted an escalation of infections in the winter season , due to the same factors that increase the incidence of other respiratory infections in the same season (people spend more time in closed spaces, there is closer contact for Christmas celebrations …) but also for a change in attitude in vaccinated people , feeling (rightly) more protected.
