AstraZeneca Pros and Cons: True Story of Man Who Contracted Covid-19 after First Jab

Some time ago, Novinite.bg told you a first-hand story about the side effects after immunization with the vaccine of the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. The story of our colleague journalist Stefan Markov (36) has become one of the most widely read posts for February on the online sites across Bulgaria. It was quoted by a number of our colleagues and proved helpful to many people.

Now, a month and a half later after vaccination with the first dose of AstraZeneca, it turned out that our colleague had contracted COVID-19, despite experts’ assurances that this was highly unlikely. It should be noted, however, that specialists have never claimed that AstraZeneca vaccine, which is the most widely administered in Bulgaria, protects 100% from the infection. In their words, between the first and second dose, it is not ruled out that a person may contract coronavirus, even though he already has a certain amount of antibodies.

Below is the story of Stefan Markov who contracted Covid-19 after his first jab of AstraZeneca:

I received the first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine on February 19 at the regional health inspectorate - Plovdiv, using the opportunity for immunization provided for journalists. I told in detail about the side effects after the injection in a post two days later. Two weeks have passed and, it turned out that I had been given a dose from the so-called ‘problem batch’ of AstraZeneca - ABV 5300. Everyone remembers that around the world a lot of people complained of severe side effects after the jab, and there were also reports of dozens of deaths. In Bulgaria, a woman from the village of Joakim Gruevo died hours after being immunized with this vaccine.

A period followed when the health authorities in our country suspended mass vaccination with AstraZeneca and waited for additional trials to prove that the drug has more positive effects than negative. Confirmations came and vaccination with the British-Swedish vaccine continued. During this time, I was informed on a regular basis about the developments around Oxford vaccine in foreign media, which published up-to-date research. In general, the conclusion was that rare blood clots due to Astra Zerneka are possible, but the incidence rate is negligible, and the advantages of a drug preventing coronavirus fatalities are preferable.

After an ad hoc examination in mid-March, it turned out that my organism had already built antibodies, and this made me feel protected against infection. Naturally, I continued to abide by anti-epidemic measures because I knew that the vaccinated were protected, but they could be Covid-19 transmitters.

However, I was very unpleasantly surprised at the end of March. Then, on two consecutive evenings, I felt excessive fatigue and, most of all, a totally congested nose. The latter deprived me of normal sleep, but until then I did not think that the reason was coronavirus and I thought it was a mild cold.

The next day, my "better half", who also had various complaints, took a test for Covid-19, which came out positive. I immediately decided to check on what was happening with me. I took an electronic code from my GP and tested myself for coronavirus with a PCR. I tested positive and I isolated myself at home.

The next day I had a phone call from the regional health inspectorate – Plovdiv and they told me I was under quarantine. They didn't explain to me how to buy food for me, my partner and our child, given that my mother and sister are currently abroad, and my grandmother lives in a neighborhood at the other end of Plovdiv and is 81 years old, and my friends and neighbors are afraid of getting infected. It turned out that the institutions were trying to shift responsibility but never found a workable solution. Hardly anyone in Bulgaria would be surprised by such an attitude. After all, it's good that there are large retail chains that deliver food to your front door.

Here's what’s happening  to me and how I deal with the coronavirus: I can say for sure that thanks to the vaccine I feel it like a mild flu - stuffy nose, light cough, mild fatigue, eyeball pain, but also complete loss of smell and taste. I don't have a fever, no other complications or signs of a serious illness. I take a prescribed antibiotic - Levofloxacin, Nataspin to protect the heart, shock doses of vitamin C, as well as plenty of water.

Among the most unpleasant consequences, I’d mention the difficulty of falling asleep at night because of the congested nose, as well as the lack of sense of smell and taste. Whether a person eats lemon, beans, shrimp, fish or cheesecake - the receptors do not distinguish between them and it feels all the same. Eating becomes an automatic process that you have no chance of enjoying.

Four-five days after the virus visited me I can claim that immunization exactly 40 days earlier saved me from a severe course of the disease, and now I just need to arm with patience to pass. I am convinced that without the vaccine I would have had immeasurably more unpleasant experiences. I suffer from autoimmune bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and in the past even seasonal flu left me bed-ridden for at least 10 days. Now I can do chores avoiding heavier physical exertion, because I quickly get tired and sweat profusely.

As a conclusion, I can’t think of anything more logical than urging people to get vaccinated. Whether with AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer – doesn’t matter – just do it. In this way, you spare yourself and others, and this is what makes the responsible communities different from others.

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