There is a very high incidence of coronavirus infection in Russia. Therefore, in all regions, mandatory vaccination has been introduced for specific categories of citizens. VirusOff talked to Maria Godlevskaya, program coordinator and peer consultant at the EVA association, about country policy to achieve herd immunity and the attitude of Russians towards vaccination.
The “third wave” of the coronavirus has affected the whole world. Many people see salvation in vaccination. How is Russia fighting the pandemic?
Unfortunately, now there are many patients in serious condition in hospitals. Most of them are those who did not get vaccinated on time. Doctors are fighting for their lives. Today in Russia, the main priority is the maximum protection of the life and health of citizens and minimization of the consequences of COVID-19 through the achievement of herd immunity. To minimize possible queues, more vaccination sites are being organized to give everybody a chance to get vaccinated under normal conditions. Preventive therapy for people with allergies is underway. That is, people prone to acute allergic reactions are recommended to take antihistamines a few days before and after vaccination to have a cumulative effect.
An exciting practice, many people do not get vaccinated because they are afraid of adverse reactions due to allergies.
We have another interesting innovation – a self-observation diary after vaccination against COVID-19. It was launched on the web portal and in the mobile application of state and municipal services. After vaccination, people enter notes on this portal about the state of health, medicines, they take to ease ailments. The received data are automatically sent to the Ministry of Health, where specialists analyze them and, if necessary, make additional consultations. Therefore, regarding the Sputnik V vaccine, precise data on what adverse reactions can appear and how often they occur.
You work with women who are living with HIV. This summer, the media actively wrote that Russians with HIV received rejection when they wanted to vaccinate against COVID-19. However, the human immunodeficiency virus is not a contraindication for vaccination. Can you tell us why that happened?
We had a situation in which district polyclinics were involved. Unfortunately, at that time (June-July 2021), not all specialists were adequately aware of the interaction of the vaccine and ARV drugs and, in general, about the possibility of being vaccinated for an HIV-positive person. Then the patient community took the lead and told one of the local newspapers that we have problems with access to vaccinations. The health committee reacted quickly enough, and an information note was composed, which could be learned in five minutes by any doctors examining before vaccination. Over the past two months, I have not heard anymore they refused to vaccinate people with HIV. There are already recommendations that it is necessary to be vaccinated and that PLHIV are at risk.
“That is, people prone to acute allergic reactions are urged to take antihistamines a few days before and after vaccination to have a cumulative effect”.
MARIA GODLEVSKAYA
Are they willingly vaccinated?
People have very different information about vaccination; there is no single clear position. As a result, not many PLHIV want to be vaccinated, and after those first refusals, it is not clear how wide these “circles on the water have spread.” That is, a person receives rejection. How many people did he tell that PLHIVs should not apply for vaccination against COVID-19? We don’t know it.
Nevertheless, our organization actively conducts webinars and consultations with both doctors and clients about the need to get vaccinated, which is a relatively good prevention method. Just the other day, during one of the webinars, we talked about vaccination, its necessity, and what you should do to get vaccinated.
By the way, practically everyone in our organization is vaccinated; this was one of our management’s recommendations. Due to numerous contacts, we risk more than other people. At the beginning of the pandemic and during quarantine, we were engaged in the delivery of ARV drugs for clients, including for people who were in quarantine due to disease.
The number of fully vaccinated citizens of the Russian Federation, in percentage (constantly updated):
Maria, what is your take on vaccination? Have you been vaccinated against COVID-19?
I am in favor of evidence-based medicine and vaccination as such. I have collected information from reliable sources and talked with doctors I trust because of their competence. And, as soon as the opportunity arose, I got vaccinated.
Yes, of course, if there are any peculiarities in the human body, then they need to be given a little more information. I have access to information, I can look at the official, verified sites, go to my doctor, ask him a thousand questions, but not all patients have this opportunity. Therefore, it is necessary to explain to people more what vaccination is and why it is generally needed. Then there will be fewer fears and different hoax stories from “antivaccers”.
The logistics moment was crucial for me: you don’t run, you don’t stay in kilometer-long lines. Mom and I came, they gave us short questionnaires. The line moved very quickly; everything together took no more than 15-20 minutes.
“I have collected information from reliable sources and talked with doctors I trust because of their competence. And, as soon as the opportunity arose, I got vaccinated”
MARIA GODLEVSKAYA
Did you have any post-vaccination problems? Were there any nuances?
I have a positive story from all sides. Immediately after the vaccination, I went to my office. I warned our management that I got vaccinated today and, if I do not feel very well, I will go home. My condition worsened a little by the evening, like what sometimes happens due to the weather change when the pressure drops. That was it, no additional symptoms that could cause any concern. And my mom didn’t have any reactions either. However, it is worth noting that I had one crucial nuance associated with the second dose of the vaccine.
What is the nuance?
When I was assigned the date of the second vaccination, I did not yet know that it was on this date that I would need to be on a business trip to Moscow. When I realized that the day of my vaccination fell on the day of the conference, I called my clinic, where they told me that I could get the second dose of the vaccine elsewhere. When I called Moscow to find out where I could get vaccinated, they said that the second dose of the vaccine could be administered to me only where the first dose was administered. And … I had a dissonance …
As a result, having called everyone and reread everything, thanks to a friend who works in the drug addict’s treatment service, I found information that there is a window of 3 days for the second vaccination. As a result, on the day of vaccination, I was in Moscow, and two days later, I returned to St. Petersburg and went to get vaccinated. Nobody even asked me why I didn’t come at the appointed time, they just vaccinated, and that’s it. But, again, only my persistence and the number of contacts helped me get reliable information, to which I did not hesitate to turn for information and advice.
Yes, an interesting situation. After all, this can happen to any person. Now we will also know about the “window period.”
Unfortunately, after a while, my colleague also became a hostage to this situation. In the summer, she had holidays with relatives in Sevastopol, and there she took the first dose. And, as it is popular now, I wrote about it on social networks. When I saw this message, I immediately wrote to her to make her holiday longer to receive a second dose of the vaccine there. Otherwise, she would have to do everything again. So, I told her about my case. Finally, it all happened, as I said. She was refused a second vaccination at her permanent residence, and she had to undergo a course of vaccination again. People should be warned about this moment so that later there will be no such issues.
Are vaccination passports issued?
Yes, of course, we have printable vaccination certificates with a QR code. In some clinics, they give a certificate, where the first sheet is the number of the first vaccine, the second sheet is the number of the second vaccine. And they put a living seal and signature.
Have you already traveled with a certificate?
Ooh yeah! [Chuckles.] There is an application, “I travel without COVID-19”, which applies to several countries. On the website of Armenia, where we went with the whole office on a business trip, there was information that only this application can be used to get to the country (a certificate must be uploaded to the application). The problem is as follows: to upload a certificate, you need to have a signed document on the possibility of processing personal data, which we did not sign at the clinic. The system with certificates has not been fixed between countries. The second time, when I flew to Armenia, I showed the already printed certificate and the PCR test.
Maria, thank you for this informative conversation. What would you wish our readers?
Do not be afraid of vaccinations, ask questions from doctors you trust, read reliable information, and take care of your health.
Additional Information:
EVA is a network organization created to improve the quality of life of women with HIV, viral hepatitis, and other socially significant diseases. EVA unites activists, specialists, and NGOs from 38 cities of Russia.
The following Covid-19 vaccines have been approved in RF:
EpiVacCorona
Sputnik V
This series was created with the support of UNAIDS
