The data is clear that, while coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the UK once more, hospitalisations and deaths are down, and this is largely due to the success of the vaccine programme. So while having two vaccines remains the most important thing you can do in the battle to get out from under the pandemic, you should be aware that you can still catch Covid, though it is much, much more likely to just feel like a little cold.
What are the main Covid symptoms for the double-jabbed?
According to the ZOE COVID symptom study which tracks thousands of symptoms via use of an app, the following five symptoms are emerging as the most common in the fully vaccinated who contract Covid:
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Loss of smell
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The study said: “The previous ‘traditional’ symptoms as still outlined on the government website, such as anosmia (loss of smell), shortness of breath and fever rank way down the list, at 5, 29 and 12 respectively.
“A persistent cough now ranks at number 8 if you’ve had two vaccine doses, so is no longer the top indicator of having COVID.
“Curiously, we noticed that people who had been vaccinated and then tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to report sneezing as a symptom compared with those without a jab.”
If you have any symptoms that you think could be Covid, make sure to get tested straight away.
Why can you still catch Covid after the vaccine?
The vaccine doesn’t act as a magic wand killing Covid the moment it enters your system, but it could still save your life.
Vaccines stimulate a person’s immune system to create antibodies.
These antibodies are specific against the virus or pathogen for the vaccine and allow the body to fight infection before it takes hold and causes severe disease.
Preliminary data shows after your first dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca, you’re 33 percent less likely than an unvaccinated person to contract the Delta variant.
Two weeks after your second dose, this rises to 60 percent for AstraZeneca and 88 percent for Pfizer. This data is for any form of COVID-19, from mild to severe.
But when you look at how much the vaccines reduce your risk of developing severe illness that requires hospitalisation, the coverage is high for both.
Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are 96 percent and 92 percent effective (respectively) in preventing Delta variant hospitalisations.
Essentially, this means that some people won’t have a strong enough immune response to the vaccine and may still be susceptible to developing COVID-19 if exposed to the virus, though the odds of this are slim.
How a person responds to a vaccine is impacted by a number of host factors, including our age, gender, medications, diet, exercise, health and stress levels.
Currently, in the UK, first doses are being offered to everyone aged 18 and above as well as children over the age of 12 who are at higher risk from Covid.
The rollout expanded to all those aged 18 and over after the government hit its target of offering a first jab to everyone in the top priority groups – all those over the age of 50, plus those in high-risk categories – by mid-April.