By Gray News Staff | December 30, 2020 at 11:31 AM EST – Updated December 31 at 10:47 AM
(Gray News) – An emergency room nurse in the San Diego area tested positive for the coronavirus more than a week after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Experts said that this is not unexpected, as it takes time for the immunity to develop – 10 to 14 days – and it is possible to get infected before that immunity develops.
A nurse who KGTV calls Matthew W. started feeling sick on Christmas Eve, six days after his inoculation, and tested positive the day after Christmas.
He works at two hospitals in the San Diego area and was working in the COVID unit of a hospital when he started feeling ill.
The first shot provides 50% protection, Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with Family Health Centers of San Diego, told KGTV. The vaccines available against the coronavirus require two doses.
Currently, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use, with the shots rolling out to targeted populations first.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 336,000 Americans, and experts warn holiday travel could cause another spike.
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