Malaysian Share: What to Expect From Vaccination (Before, During, After) #cucukmyaz
It’s vaccination time!
If you have gotten your first dose or completed both doses, congratulations! 👏👏
If you are still waiting for your appointment, then you might want to read this article 😉
Do’s:
- Eat a full meal & drink plenty of water before
- Take prior 1 or 2 rest days from work after your jab (trust me on this one & thank me later)
- Arrive early!
- BRING A PEN
- Prepare some panadols after
- Charge your phone
- Have your MySejahtera app ON at all times
Vaccination Day (WTC, KL)
My appointment was scheduled at WTC, KL. It was a smooth journey driving there. Thanks to the FMCO traffic.
There wasn’t any surprise road block too which was great. However, this might vary for different people so you might want to check your Waze before departing.
When my mom and I arrived at WTC, we were impressed by the many signboards that were guiding us where to go and where to park. There were also many volunteers scattered around the location, ready to answer any questions you might have!
Parking was easy. We easily found a spot right at their basement parking. Also, you are less likely to get lost here because you can just follow the crowd. Everyone is most likely heading towards the same place lol.
Tip:
You are not allowed to bring a company, even your parents. My mom who intended to accompany me throughout my vaccination process was to told to wait outside the centre in the end 🙁
However, you can accompany an elderly if you are their dependent.
Right at the entrance, there were volunteers constantly giving us instructions on where to go & what to do.
Based on my experience, they check your MySejahtera app every second especially your vaccination appointment page; to ensure which station you are supposed to go to and what time you can enter.
So make sure your phone is charged & keep your MySejahtera app on your screen at all times so you don’t keep people waiting by trying to find your app!
To be honest, it was very well-managed and systematic. I did not have to worry about not knowing where to go or what to do!
SOPs were also well followed at the space. Everyone queued a safe distance away from each other.
Before the jab..
We were directed to a hall where we were asked to fill up a consent form.
After the consent form station, we were instructed to proceed to the next station for a short briefing with the volunteers and doctors regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine.
After the brief on our medical history and possible side effects, we were instructed to the next station which was the best part; the JAB!
During the jab..
It was almost painless to be honest. At least for my pain tolerance level. All that i felt was a little soreness on my arm and that was it.
The doctor would ask if you’d like to get jabbed on your left or right arm.
Everything felt like less than a minute. I blinked and it was all done!
After the jab…
We were placed in an ‘observation hall’ where we would need to wait for 10-15 minutes before exiting the centre, to monitor if any effects were taking place.
My body did not have any reaction. Hence, few minutes later my name was called by one of the volunteers together with a few others.
The volunteer briefed us on how to update our MySejahtera app, indicating that our 1st dose has completed. We were told to report any serious side effects that prolonged more than 48hours on the app as well.
And that was it….
I went home!
The whole process was done in about an hour. Fuss-free & systematic!
10 hours later…
I got my jab around 4:35pm. All was well until 2am morning where I started experiencing:
- Chills
- Body aches
- Fever
- Arm soreness
I had trouble sleeping after that because I was feeling very uncomfortable. Thankfully, I had prepare some panadol actifast next to me. The doctor at the vaccination centre advised us to consume 2 tablets so I did.
A while later, my side effects subsided & I went to bed peacefully.
Not long after…..at 6am+
The side effects came back, especially fever after the panadols wore off from my body.
I popped another 2 tablets of panadol & went to sleep until 2pm afternoon. It didnt feel like I was well-rested at all the entire night so I made sure I slept all my body needed to.
After that my side effects were mainly:
- Body aches
- Fatigue
- Arm soreness
Later throughout the day, I only woke up for food. Other times, I slept my life away like a baby. My body didn’t feel like it could do anything else than rest. Hence, I listened to it.
Here was where I was so glad I took a day off from work after my vaccine because I couldn’t have imagined bringing myself to work with all the fatigue, body aches and chills.
The following day…
Side effects:
- Eye irritation
- Headaches
Strange enough… I had a swollen eye in the morning.. and both my eyes were on fire! 🔥
I wasn’t sure if it was a side effect from the vaccine but according to my research, ‘burning eyes’ were reported by very few people as one of the side effects.
Oh wells, it was bearable tho. The puffiness subsided after I massaged it with my finger but the burning sensation kinda prolonged.
I also had mild headaches but felt better after some panadols too. This time I limited myself to 1 tablet as my fever, chills and body aches were gone.
I never felt better later in the day!
Although the side effects were a pain in the AZ (get it?), I am grateful for them because it means my body was working very hard to receive the vaccine! Hence, the side effects.
I hope this article helped managed your expectations before receiving your vaccine!
Now that you know what to expect, the do’s & dont’s, get ready for your jabs!
Meanwhile, stay home & stay safe! <3
disclaimer: my experience stated above are subjective and personal. Might vary for different people.