The short answer is that it depends on how much you drink. There is no evidence that having a drink or two can render any of the current COVID-19 vaccines less effective. Some studies have even found that over the longer term, small or moderate amounts of alcohol might actually benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation.

Depends On How Much You Drink

Heavy alcohol consumption can suppress the immune system and potentially interfere with your vaccine response, experts say. Since it can take weeks after a COVID-19 shot for the body to generate protective levels of antibodies against the novel coronavirus, anything that interferes with the immune response would be cause for concern.﻿

Our Immune System Hates Heavy Drinking

Moderate drinking is generally defined as no more than two drinks a day for men and a maximum of one drink a day for women, whereas heavy drinking is defined as four or more drinks on any day for men and three or more drinks for women.

Moderate Vs Heavy Drinking

Keep in mind that one “standard” drink is considered five ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, or 12 ounces of beer. Stick to these limits.

The Sweet Spot?

Moderate drinking is unlikely to impair the immune response to the Covid vaccine, but heavy drinking might.<figure><picture><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600"><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200"><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800"><img alt="" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/05/04/well/askwell-wine/merlin_161506203_0c27f239-661f-4a08-8ee9-3149877e7a9f-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w" width="600" height="400"></picture><figcaption dir="auto">Credit...
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times</figcaption></figure><div><time datetime="2021-04-27T05:00:11-04:00">April 27, 2021</time></div>After a long year and a lot of anticipation, getting the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/well/live/covid-vaccine-side-effects-faq.html" title="" dir="ltr">Covid-19 vaccine</a> can be cause for celebration, which for some might mean pouring a drink and toasting to their new immunity. But can alcohol interfere with your immune response?The short answer is that it depends on how much you drink.There is no evidence that having a drink or two can render any of the current Covid vaccines less effective. Some studies have even found that over the longer term, small or moderate amounts of alcohol might actually benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation.Advertisement

Moderate drinking is unlikely to impair the immune response to the Covid vaccine, but heavy drinking might.

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Moderate drinking is unlikely to impair the immune response to the Covid vaccine, but heavy drinking might.

After a long year and a lot of anticipation, getting the <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/well/live/covid-vaccine-side-effects-faq.html" title="">Covid-19 vaccine </a>can be cause for celebration, which for some might mean pouring a drink and toasting to their new immunity. But can alcohol interfere with your immune response?

The short answer is that it depends on how much you drink.

There is no evidence that having a drink or two can render any of the current Covid vaccines less effective. Some studies have even found that over the longer term, small or moderate amounts of alcohol might actually benefit the immune system by reducing inflammation.

Can You Have Alcohol After the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Depends On How Much You Drink

Our Immune System Hates Heavy Drinking

Moderate Vs Heavy Drinking

The Sweet Spot?

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