Consuming a lot of alcohol negatively impacts COVID risks

DEAR DR. ROACH » Recently, a friend of mine flew to Mexico with her husband and teenage daughter for a five-day resort vacation. After she returned, she went to an outdoor concert with a group of friends, and the following day went to an indoor event with several good friends. The day after that, she began developing flulike symptoms and went to the doctor, who told her she had COVID. At her insistence, all the people she had been in close contact with, as well as her husband and daughter, were tested for COVID. My friend drinks alcohol (wine and margaritas) recreationally nearly every day. Could that have had an effect on her immune system?

— J.T.M.

DEAR READER » I’m afraid your friend has made some unwise choices. The delta variant is much more infectious than the previous variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Indoor events are much more likely to allow spread of the virus, so I recommend not attending large indoor events, and to use masks when you are indoors with anyone besides your own family. This is true if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Alcohol absolutely has multiple effects on the immune system. Alcohol has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal system, on the lungs and the rest of the respiratory system, and on the various cells of the immune system directly. Because of these effects, alcohol makes a person more susceptible to, and more likely to get severe disease from, COVID-19.

In general, the greater the dose of alcohol, the worse the effect on the body’s systems.

DEAR DR, ROACH » I am 73-year-old male and a frequent platelet donor — 18 to 22 times a year for past six years. Is it safe to give platelets so often?

— B.M.C.

DEAR READER » Thank you for donating. There are national shortages in both blood and platelets, but platelets are critically low in many areas, and must be used within five days of donation, so a steady supply of donations is essential.

A single donation of platelets is about 3 to 4 billion platelets, which are needed for blood clotting. One donation will not cause the donor’s platelets to go too low, but there is a risk with excess donations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed a limit of 24 donations per year.. You are donating at a safe level.