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Can a person with herpes have the COVID vaccine?

It is perfectly safe. We recommend that people with herpes have the COVID vaccine – or any vaccines offered. Do the best for yourself, get yourself protected against COVID: a serious, life-threatening virus. The vaccines approved for use in UK do not contain egg or any other animal products. Like the antiviral drugs for herpes, all the vaccines are safe for any religious group.

“Having had herpes is not a contraindication for COVID vaccination. As most of the population have been infected with herpes type one or type 2 if there were any complication, we would have seen it by now. There is no scientific basis for thinking there would be any problem. Indeed, I had my first Covid jab yesterday. My past history of oral herpes type one (‘cold sores’) did not concern me. Professor Colm O’Mahony MD. FRCP. BSc. DipVen.

Because ‘everyone’ has herpes they can have the COVID vaccine.

Well over half the adult population has herpes simplex, though most don’t know it. The NHS wants everyone, regardless of whether or not they get cold sores on face, fingers or genitals to be vaccinated. Take advantage of these medical breakthroughs. They have been subjected to meticulously conducted clinical trials. Such clinical trials are essential to test the safety and effectiveness of experimental treatments and vaccines. (I’ve just received either a vaccine or a salt water injection. I’m taking part in a trial for Novovax.)

After a promising therapy is developed in a lab, it goes through three separate studies to ensure that it won’t cause any serious harm and will be of real medical benefit. Only if it passes all three stages is any new therapy evaluated by a group of independent experts. They assess if it’s safe and effective and can receive a licence for use in the general public. The Novovax vaccine is now on the verge of such approval.

Marian is taking part in a COVID vaccine trial

By the time I joined the trial, the study was already in its final ‘phase 3’ research involving over 15,203 volunteers recruited in record time. The participants were divided at random into two equal groups. Researchers made sure the composition of the groups was comparable in terms of age, gender, race and underlying health conditions. One group received the experimental vaccine and the other a placebo. (A dummy therapy, in this case salt water). Rates of side effects and COVID were then compared between the two groups. At the outset, the researchers set strict criteria to ensure that the new treatment really if safe and works. This is so that they couldn’t be accused of moving the goal posts if their study flings up some unexpected or unwelcome findings.

If you are a person with herpes have the COVID vaccine – where it is the one from Oxford/Astra Zenaca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or, when it is available, “my” Novovax vaccine!