TAMPA, Fla. — If a person recently had COVID and tested negative before New Year's Eve, doctors warn against alcohol consumption.
Doctor Michael Teng, who is an associate professor for the University of South Florida said, this is because your immune system is impacted.
“Alcohol does a lot of things, it doesn’t just affect your liver. It does affect your immune system and it’s not a good idea while you’re recovering from a disease to go ahead and try and hit it with something else," Teng explained.
For more insight, Virginia Londahl-Ramsey, who is an assistant professor in the school of nursing at Florida Gulf Coast University, weighed in.
“It may further increase your risk for pulmonary complications. It’s really important to stay vigilant and sober if you are coming off of a COVID diagnosis,” Londahl-Ramsey said.
She is addressing what she calls a myth regarding alcohol killing the virus inside your body.
"Alcohol consumption does not kill bacteria nor the virus in the body system. It is used as a disinfectant on the skin which is about 60 percent effective. However, it has no influence whatsoever within the body system."
If you are taking medications, health experts warn you need to be careful. When people have COVID, especially with a fever, they sometimes take Tylenol. Health experts explained that could be really dangerous if you mix in alcohol.
"Tylenol and alcohol do not mix. They will send people into a rapid liver failure," Londahl-Ramsey stated.
If you are going to drink, make sure you're not taking Tylenol close to when you consume alcohol.
“I would totally stay away from any Tylenol product within 24 hours of any alcohol consumption," Londahl explained.
While it may not be the fun New Year's Eve plans you had planned, staying in and sober is what health experts recommend if you are recovering from COVID.
"Staying sober, drinking in moderation, one drink, one toast, half of a drink, if you don’t have pulmonary symptoms, that may be prudent to do. Otherwise, I would abstain from alcohol this holiday season. There will be another one next year. Right now, I would abstain from alcohol," Londahl-Ramsey added.