For the second month, a large-scale vaccination against coronavirus is underway in the capital. Since December 28, all Muscovites aged 60+ have received the opportunity to get a protective vaccination against a new deadly disease, along with other categories of citizens. Why it is so important for the elderly and especially for those who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system, the RG correspondent was told by the chief freelance cardiologist of the Moscow health department and the chief physician of the Davydovsky City Clinical Hospital Elena Vasilieva.
Elena Yurievna, there are about three million pensioners in the capital. Most of them develop various chronic diseases by this age. Is this a contraindication for the coronavirus vaccine? For example, for cores? People suffering from various forms of diseases of the cardiovascular system?
Elena Vasilieva: There are no such contraindications. On the contrary, like most other specialists, I am convinced that everyone needs the COVID-19 vaccine. Young people should first of all be vaccinated in order not to be a source of infection for older people, who suffer from coronavirus the most severely. For the elderly themselves, vaccination is an opportunity to protect themselves from the risk of complications and even death from covid disease. Believe me, during the pandemic, during which thousands of patients with coronavirus passed through our hospital, we had the opportunity to see how dangerous the coronavirus is for veterans. It is no coincidence that in a number of countries vaccination began in nursing homes. And the fact that Moscow made it possible for all elderly Muscovites aged 60+ to get this vaccine is, in my opinion, a wonderful initiative.
We already know that patients with diabetes mellitus, obesity, and weak lungs are especially hard to tolerate the coronavirus. And how does it affect the cores?
Elena Vasilieva: The pathology of the cardiovascular system is always fraught with the risk of heart attack or stroke. The coronavirus makes this risk even higher for these patients. Therefore, any patient with ischemic disease, arrhythmia, atherosclerosis and other diseases for us, doctors, is alarming in a pandemic.
Why? What happens in the body of people who have contracted a new infection?
Elena Vasilieva: With covid, first of all, blood clotting is disturbed, thrombus formation increases. Blood clots easily settle on the vessels and plaques changed by the disease, close the lumen and cause tissue necrosis. Sometimes they close the lumen in blood vessels and are free of plaque. The result is a heart attack or ischemic stroke. In addition, the inflammatory process itself, even in the lungs, can provoke extensive inflammation of the heart muscle – myocardial infarction. We already knew that various bacteria and viruses, chronically existing and periodically activated in the human body, which cause periodontitis, paraproctitis and other chronic diseases, can contribute to the development of myocardial infarction. All the same happens with the COVID-19 virus, but only in a more acute form. That is why it is so dangerous for patients with cardiovascular pathology to get sick with covid. There are two options to protect yourself from this. The first is to close, not communicate with anyone, and isolate yourself forever. Well, if you still want to go out and contact the world, then the second option is to get vaccinated.
But many Muscovites fear possible complications from the vaccine. How grounded are these fears among the same cores?
Elena Vasilieva: I can tell you about our own data. In our hospital, about 400 of these patients were vaccinated. What surprised me, a doctor with a fairly extensive work experience? People in the older age group, and we had about 30 people over 90 years old, had practically no reaction at all to the vaccine. Neither discomfort at the injection site, nor the usual slight discomfort with some fever. We initially thought the vaccine hadn’t worked in these patients. But very soon they became convinced of the opposite. Unexpectedly, all those vaccinated at the age of 85-90 years and who did not even feel the vaccination itself had a very good antibody titer.
Elena Vasilyeva, chief freelance cardiologist of the Moscow Department of Health. Photo: press service of the Moscow Department of Health
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Were there any serious complications?
Elena Vasilieva: What is considered heavy? The most severe among all the vaccinated we had a general malaise, which happens during a cold, a rise in temperature up to 38 degrees. It lasted a day or two, for several people – up to five days. In general, it’s okay compared to the risk of getting covid. What else is interesting? All these cases were in young people. And more often in girls than in boys. In particular, my youngest daughter’s temperature rose to almost 38 degrees. My 93-year-old mother, on the other hand, tolerated the vaccination perfectly, she had no reaction at all. And we were happy to find that she developed a high titer of antibodies. This gave her the opportunity to again participate in all family activities, we even went with her several times to a restaurant. Communication for older people is very important. Zoom, unfortunately, is not able to completely replace live contacts.
Did you get the vaccine yourself?
Elena Vasilieva: Yes, I got vaccinated as soon as possible. Over time, my antibody levels even began to decline. But then, when I worked with a patient who had an acute form of covid at that moment, my antibody titer jumped again. And very quickly. And I myself did not get clinically ill, which was confirmed by a negative PCR test. I think that this happened because in the memory of my vaccinated organism it was already programmed how to make antibodies. And when faced with a virus, the memory cells quickly started working and produced the required amount. We are still studying this so-called cellular response, but I was personally convinced that it exists in the case of covid. I watched similar stories on my colleagues.
My 93-year-old mom took the vaccine perfectly, she had no reaction at all to the vaccine
Some Muscovites are frightened in our time simply by the visit to the clinic itself. After all, now not only people go there for vaccinations, but also sick people. The thought involuntarily arises: I’ll pick up some infection there …
Elena Vasilieva: Moscow polyclinics maintain a planned admission of patients only because they comply with all sanitary and epidemiological rules of work. There must be a mask regime, social distance, regular disinfection of all rooms, thermometry … For those who have a temperature, there is a separate entrance everywhere. In addition, all vaccination centers in the capital work strictly by appointment.
Elena Yurievna! What do you say to Muscovites who still doubt whether it is worth getting the vaccine or not? What should be the incentive to go and get this injection?
Elena Vasilieva: Let’s be honest: the main incentive in this case is the desire not to die from covid. As a doctor, cardiologist, I repeat once again: covid affects not only the lungs, but also the heart. And if you already have some kind of heart disease, then a meeting with a virus can end in disaster. Please, take care of yourself.
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