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US nurse gets COVID-19 after first Pfizer shot; expert says vaccine needs time to work


A nurse in California has tested positive for COVID-19 about a week after he was injected with the first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as a medical expert said the body needs more time to build up protection.

According to a report on “24 Oras,” the nurse—identified in a Reuters report as Matthew W., 45—did not experience any side effects from the vaccine aside from feeling soreness in the arm.

Six days later, he began to experience chills, body ache, and extreme fatigue. He got tested for the virus, and received a positive test result two days later.

According to an infectious disease specialist, this situation is 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," Dr. Christian Ramers of Family Health Centers of San Diego told ABC News.

He added that the Pfizer vaccine, which is administered in two doses, has only a 50-percent effectivity in its first dose. The second dose is needed for 95-percent efficacy.

Pfizer has yet to release a statement. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News

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