I got my first jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca on Monday.
It involved a trip into the Colchester suburbs and finding the vaccination centre was the most challenging part. It was fairly efficient as they did have their list of people who’d signed up for vaccines to check against. They do say not to arrive too early because the vaccination centre I went to was a pharmacy with basically, a consulting room, that they turned into an inoculation room. There were appropriate social distancing measures and a lot of reminders. Of course, not everyone read or followed the suggestions to social distance and that is another post all together!
Today is Day 2 post the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab and I can definitively agree with Her Majesty that the jab (itself) “didn’t hurt at all!” But the list of side effects after the jab that on the Gov.UK website is spot on. There are also leaflets on the Gov.UK website for the specific vaccines. I’ve added the links to the Gov.UK web pages below.
- What to expect after your vaccination
- Information about the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
- Information about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
You need to make sure you bring or have the following to hand:
According to the Gov.UK website:
- Your NHS number
- A face mask/covering
I had with me (because I worry, over prepare and over pack, most times)
- My mobile that had a copy of my booking confirmation number and confirmation texts
- Hygiene kit which included: disposable face masks, hand wipes. and hand sanitiser.
- My passport, in case I need to show ID.
I felt really unwell about 12 hours after the jab, headachy, muscle aches, joint aches (I was feeling every single second of my 44 years let me tell you!) feverish, chills and brain fog/confusion. But yesterday was a better day and whilst I’m still waking up later than usual and waking up to a fuzzy head, I’m feeling a lot better than yesterday. A top tip that I learned from others, if you can, take paracetamol, just before your jab so that the paracetamol is in your system already when the jab comes in and will help with the symptoms as soon as they start hitting. Of course, if you can’t take paracetamol before, take it as soon as possible, after the jab. Expect symptoms as soon as 30 minutes after the jab. A few of my friends in the NHS have even said they got symptoms sooner.
Apparently, you get a card that says you’ve received the 2 vaccinations. I’m not quite sure whether this is given at the first jab and the centre I went to just didn’t have them.
Just sharing and I hope this helps!
I’ve posted long and rambling video updates on my IGTV, if you’re interested in looking and listening to me ramble about my vaccination experience!
Yellywelly 