As We Take COVID-19 Vaccine, Here’s What Needs to Be Done Before & After
-
- March 5, 2021
Today is a big day for Kenya, as the first shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine is being administered to the first person in the country. Yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged the vaccines to the various regions too.
And now, the first shot will be administered officially at Kenyatta National Hospital.
As this happens, and plans to vaccinate various persons across the country already laid bare, what kind of things should we note, or put into perspective as we join the world in this big step of fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Stay safe and take care. Mask on. Social distance. Wash hands.
A large number of experts have underlined that some minor side-effects are expected in a small number of cases — and that these ought not to dissuade people from taking the shot.
Here below are some thoughts we have gathered for you, some of the things you need to know, and some precautions that you should take before and after getting vaccinated.
Before vaccination
- One should eat well and take medicines, if prescribed, ahead of vaccination. One should try to be as relaxed as possible; counselling can help people who are feeling anxious.
- People with diabetes or blood pressure need to keep these in check. Cancer patients, especially those on chemotherapy, must act on medical advice.
- In case a person has allergies to medication or drugs, it is important to get an all-clear from a medical practitioner. A complete blood count (CBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), or Immunoglobulin-E (IgE) levels can be checked under medical advice.
- People who have received blood plasma or monoclonal antibodies as part of Covid-19 treatment or those who have been infected in the last one and a half months are advised to not take the vaccine right now.
After vaccination
- A recipient of the vaccine is monitored at the vaccine centre itself to guard against any immediate severe allergic reaction.
- People are allowed to leave only after it has been ascertained that this is not the case.
- Side effects like pain at the injection site and fever are common.
- Some other side effects like chills and fatigue might also be expected, but these go away in a few days.
Important to note
Vaccines teach our immune system how to recognise and fight an external threat — in this case, the virus that causes Covid-19. It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus.
This means that a person could still get infected by Covid-19 in the few days immediately following the vaccination because the person would not have had enough time to develop immunity.
Therefore, basic precautionary measures must be followed even after vaccination.
Face masks, hand hygiene, and physical distancing in public places must not be abandoned just because a vaccine has been taken. Cough/sneeze etiquette also needs to be followed.
