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Does drinking water reduce side effects after a COVID-19 shot?
Good hydration might help ward off COVID-19 infection. But the science is murky on exactly how and why drinking before an injection might alter your immune reaction.
ByEmily Sohn
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The advice comes from neighbors, magazine articles, clinic websites, even nurses: drink a lot of water before and after your COVID-19 vaccine to help ward off side-effects.
The problem: There is no evidence that drinking extra water can help ward off the sore arms, body aches, and fevers that some people experience after getting their COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Water-chugging also won’t reduce the chances of fainting for people who are prone to lightheadedness with needles.
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How effective is a single dose of a COVID vaccine? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control data in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggests that one dose is not as good as two doses. However, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has stated that only a tiny minority of Canada’s COVID-19 cases involved people who had received only one dose of vaccine, compared with no vaccine. Meanwhile, a study conducted in Qatar suggested that one dose was only 30 per cent effective against COVID-19 variants. If true, that would be disastrous in our current situation. People are understandably confused about just how much protection a single shot of Pfizer’s, Moderna’s, or AstraZeneca’s vaccine truly provides.
MONTREAL Quebec may currently be vaccinating against COVID-19 at a record pace for the province, but experts warn that trends south of the border could spoil chances of achieving herd immunity. “We may very easily get to a point where supply outstrips demand and in that situation, it s going to become a much more difficult problem of science communication, trying to convince people that they do need to be vaccinated because otherwise we re going to have just enough unvaccinated people in the population for this virus to continue to circulate and cause future outbreaks,” said cardiologist Christopher Labos. A recent survey found high levels of vaccine hesitancy and belief in conspiracy theories around vaccines among Quebecers under the age of 55. The survey comes as the eligibility age for the shots is gradually being lowered, with all Quebecers over the age of 18 being able to book an appointment as of May 14.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling for a national emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis unfolding in Ontario and other provinces.
“We are at a critical juncture where a true national approach to combatting COVID-19 will make the difference between more or less lives saved,” said CMA President Dr. Ann Collins. “This country must come together to help support provinces most severely impacted.”
On April 15, the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Canada surged past 9500, setting a new single-day record. Nearly half of those cases came from Ontario, which reported a record 4736 new infections. The province recently predicted that number could escalate to more than 30 000 a day by May.