does getting vaccinated violate the ramadan fast?
6 minute read
a covid-19 vaccine pop-up clinic in the thorncliffe park and flemingdon park community at the masjid darussalam thorncliffe mosque in toronto, ont. on sunday april 11, 2021.
ernest doroszuk/toronto sun/postmedia
ramadan, which began on april 11 this year and will last until may 12, is the most sacred month in islam, when many muslims abstain from eating, drinking and sexual activity from dawn until dusk in a practice of self-restraint, as a testament to one’s relationship with god and to feel a gratefulness for what they have.
before a prayer at sunset, they gather to break their fast with a meal called ifṭār. the other meal during ramadan is called suhoor, which is eaten in morning. at the end of the month, there’s a joyous (and feast-heavy) celebration called eid al-fitr, the festival of the breaking of the fast. it’s all an incredibly unifying time.
if you happen to eat or drink accidentally (it happens), you can make that up with an extra day of fasting, while pregnant women, kids and older or unwell people can be exempt entirely from fasting.
what is permissible?
this week represents the start of the second ramadan during the covid-19 pandemic, and has had some in the muslim community wondering if getting vaccinated violates the fasting period.
this week represents the start of the second ramadan during the covid-19 pandemic, and has had some in the muslim community wondering if getting vaccinated violates the fasting period.
according to dr. m. hashim khan, co-chair of the canadian muslim covid-19 task force (cmctf), there is nothing to worry about.
“it is permissible to receive the covid-19 vaccine, or other vaccinations in general while you are fasting and it does not break your fast,” he says. “this is because, for something to break your fast, it has to either reach the back of your mouth and/or stomach and it has to provide some sort of nourishment, hydration or eliminate satiety – something that would make it easier for you to be able to fast.”
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in other words, if you eat or drink something, it would provide you with nourishment and invalidate the point of a fast. oral medications, which are often taken with water, would also invalidate your fast. however, intramuscular injections like the covid-19 vaccines — which go directly into your muscles — don’t reach your throat or your stomach and do not provide any nourishment, which is why they are deemed permissible.
“the confusion can sometimes come when some individuals confuse this for an an intravenous medication or cannula where there may be a bag of fluid or medication that is infused into someone’s veins,” khan says. “that would invalidate someone’s fast because the amount of fluid and medication you get can provide hydration and may make you no longer feel the pangs of hunger or thirst as intended.”
but we’ve all been told to either hydrate or have a meal ahead of receiving most kinds of injections, so is that still the case? nope, says khan. if you’re fasting during ramadan, there are no additional nourishing efforts you’ll need to make, as long as you’ve had your early morning suhoor and ifṭār.
what if you experience side effects?
if you’re worried about feeling side effects after getting vaccinated, which might push you to have water or a meal, it’s worth noting that the majority of people who receive the vaccine have mild or no effects. the most common are a sore arm or body aches, which wouldn’t be enough to warrant taking medication and are likely to resolve within one to three days. even so, most will be able to wait until ifṭār to take a painkiller like acetaminophen (tylenol) or ibuprofen (advil).
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however, if you happen to experience severe side effects or if you feel that continuing to fast will worsen your health, then it is permissible to break your fast — just as if you fell ill for any other reason during ramadan. if you’re still unsure about whether it is safe for you to continue your fast, as with most things, you should speak to your doctor, and if you’re unsure about whether your situation qualifies for an exemption to break your fast, you can ask your local imam for advice.
and if you’re wondering what to advise family members who are worried about getting vaccinated during ramadan, khan says, “we have a responsibility in our religion to do whatever we can to protect our health if there is treatment available. we strongly recommend everyone receives the covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them. they are all safe, effective, halal and have been shown to be unquestionably and extremely effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death. now that vaccines are more readily available, any delays from our end will mean that not only are more canadian muslims unprotected and at risk of developing covid-19 and becoming very sick or dying from it, but also that it will delay us in developing herd immunity. … if [reopening and looser restrictions] are important end-goals, then it is absolutely critical that as many canadian muslims receive their covid-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, and this requires all of us to do our part as individuals as well as an entire community.”
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how communities are working to ease concerns
in fact, that’s exactly how some toronto communities have been banding together to raise access to vaccines and create a comfortable space to ask questions and get safely vaccinated.
beginning on april 9 and 10, the neighbourhood organization (tno), a multi-service agency that provides community services, helped coordinate multiple pop-up vaccination sites in thorncliffe park and flemingdon park. these are two of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods in the city’s east end, and both hugely diverse with large muslim populations.
sites were set up by mobile teams at a local plaza, high-rise buildings, community centres and mosques. with people able to get vaccinated in the comfort of their own neighbourhoods, by a healthcare provider they might now and in their own language, community efforts turned out to be highly successful with 1400 getting vaccinated on the first day, and 1100 the following day, with hundreds waiting in line for hours in the rain.
“it was really successful because it was so accessible,” says ahmed hussein, the executive director of tno. “we were worried about vaccine hesitancy in the beginning, because there is a whole slew of people who are disseminating false information about the vaccines, their side effects, what have you. and quite often the muslim community is a target of that, simply because of language barriers or culture clash for newcomers.”
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in order to encourage residents and help them feel safe, tno has installed people who are active in these communities as diverse local ambassadors at each site to help disseminate safety information and answer questions.
as vaccines become available, these pop-ups will continue, says hussein. how soon that might be with scarborough health network closing its vaccination clinics at centennial college and centenary hospital on wednesday due to a lack of supply, thereby cancelling 10,000 scheduled appointments in a region that has 15 postal codes representing hot spots, is unclear.
canadian community organizations, including the cmctf are, however, advocating for clinics to offer extended hours so that muslims might be able to get injected at night if they are concerned about getting vaccinated while fasting. public health departments are actively considering extending vaccination hours generally, with some even advocating for 24/7 vaccinations. this, of course, depends on vaccine supply, facilities, staffing and other resources.
“most aspects of this covid-19 pandemic require multi-sector collaboration between the scientific community, industry, businesses, non-profits and entire communities,” says khan. “by working together, we can leverage the strengths of all involved to ensure an equitable, holistic and effective intervention that will have sufficient community buy-in, given that they were involved in the decision-making process, and will help us quickly overcome this crisis, which is primarily driven by community behaviours. working at the community level also allows us to identify problems and intervene proactively, without waiting until health systems are over capacity and when it may be too late.”
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sadaf ahsan is a toronto-based culture writer, editor and stereotypical middle child. she can be reached here.
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