Hello friends!
I finally got my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday (18/7), and will be getting my 2nd in 2 weeks time. As part of the Phase 3 group of vaccine receivers, I was surprised how quickly the vaccines have been rolling out for this group. Phase 1 and 2 are for "medical workers/essential services/law enforcement" and "elderly/chronic illness patients/disabled", respectively. Phase 3 are for the "general adult population aged 18 and above".
(Source from www.pmo.gov.my - Prime Minister's Office)
I'm going to chronicle this briefly to relate my experience with it.
I received my appointment date about a week before the 18th July, but it sure felt like I was waiting forever for it, when many other friends in the Phase 3 group have already been getting their appointments. My appointment centre was at Dewan Sivik MBPJ at 10am. We got up early, got a coffee to start the day, then drove over to the centre by 9:30am. One of the benefits of the lockdown is that we didn't have to worry about crowding or parking as there were plenty around the area.
The procedure went as follows:
Signing in at the centre on the contact tracing app (MySejahtera) after updating it as instructed by the volunteer workers who also doubled as security checks.
Filled in the consent forms and waited to get ID verified. Signed in another time using the app but from the vaccine page of the app (not the usual location sign in) and had my identification verified. Everyone was told that they'll be getting Pfizer as the vaccine, and even went the extra to ask if "it's okay for you (us)?", knowing that some people prefer one type of brand over another.
Went to another room/hall to wait for a briefing about the side effects of the vaccine and a Q&A on whether I've had any pre-existing medical conditions. I then signed the consent form after acknowledging that I understand the conditions of getting the vaccine.
Walked to another hall where the vaccine is administered in partitioned rooms made out of partition boards, and waited to get called. After I was called, I passed the forms, my IC, and the medical officer showed me the vaccine vial, and also the dosage (0.3ml) she extracted out of the vial. I then received the injection and subsequently patched up.
Next, I was to wait at another section for observation (15 minutes) to make sure there are no immediate health issues or side effects.
That's it - went home after that.
Frankly, I wasn't too bothered about taking pictures of the whole thing (I'm just not that type, haha!). Got in and out, no fuss and no frills. But I am grateful for the hard work of the PPV volunteers and the medical workers - a BIG THANK YOU to all of you for your dedication and service to make things easier for all of us.
My next appointment is in two weeks.
12th hour update:
The only side effect was just a sore arm and tiredness. I slept a lot during the later part of the day, but I was generally fine to run my activities although not in a heavy way.
24th hour update:
I still have the sore arm, but not as bad as the day before. Still slightly tired, but not feeling under the weather. Good thing we can't go out, I can practically rest.
I will update more over the next few days to see if there'll be any issues or side effects.
Last note: Please get yourself vaccinated, not just for yourself, but for your loved ones and those surrounding you. It's a public service.