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A health worker prepares to administer a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to the residents of The Palace Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Miami, Florida. Photo: Bloomberg

California nurse tests positive for coronavirus a week after getting Pfizer vaccine

  • Matthew W received the vaccine on December 18, and six days later, he became sick after working a shift in a Covid-19 unit
  • The 45-year-old got tested at a drive-up hospital and his results came back positive for the virus the day after Christmas
A 45-year-old nurse in California tested positive for Covid-19 more than a week after receiving Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, an ABC News affiliate reported on Tuesday.

Matthew W., a nurse at two different local hospitals, said in a Facebook post on December 18 that he had received the Pfizer vaccine, telling the ABC News affiliate that his arm was sore for a day but that he had suffered no other side-effects.

Six days later on Christmas Eve, he became sick after working a shift in the Covid-19 unit, the report added. He got the chills and later came down with muscle aches and fatigue.

He went to a drive-up hospital testing site and tested positive for Covid-19 the day after Christmas, the report said.

02:30

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine more than 90 per cent effective, US drug maker says

Pfizer coronavirus vaccine more than 90 per cent effective, US drug maker says

Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, told the ABC News affiliate that this scenario was not unexpected.

“We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it’s going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection from the vaccine,” Ramers said.

“That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50 per cent, and you need that second dose to get up to 95 per cent,” Ramers added.

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