What To Do After Getting The Jab.

Sri Lanka seems to be going hard at vaccination against COVID-19. The country has set up many vaccination centres, and they managed to vaccinate 84,565 people yesterday (31st of May), alone. After all, a vaccine, together with preventive behaviours may be the only possible exit from this pandemic.

The best vaccine against COVID-19 is the one that's available for you, and according to experts, it can reduce your risk of getting severely ill, even if you get COVID-19.

We recently pointed out a few things that you need to consider, if you're planning to wait in line for a jab. And today, we're going to talk about the next step.

What should you do after getting the vaccine?

Expect Mild Side Effects

Side effects are common after the COVID-19 vaccination. It's your body's way of telling that it's building immune protection. These are minor side effects like pain, redness and swelling on the arm where you got the shot, and tiredness, heartache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea, throughout the rest of your body. They should disappear within about 1-2 days.

However, some people do not get any of the side effects, but still, it's quite normal. You can develop protective immune responses and still not have any kind of local reaction.

Proceed With Your Daily Routine

The side effects might interrupt your daily activities, but if not, you can proceed with them as usual. In either case, drink plenty of fluids, maintain a nutritious diet, and take some paracetamol in the correct dosage to ease up the discomfort.

Take some time off and rest. It will get you back on your feet in no time. Consult your doctor if the side effects don't seem to fade away after a couple of days.

Take Care Of Your Arm

Image credits: achgroup.org.au

In order to lessen the pain or soreness in the arm where you got the vaccine, apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area or place an icepack. It's recommended to seek medical advice if the redness or tenderness gets worse after 24 hours.

Continue Practising COVID-19 Prevention Measures

While the vaccines have proven effective in protecting people from contracting COVID-19, it doesn't guarantee the same about its transmission. It's still unsure whether the vaccines prevent passing the infection onto others.

Therefore, you're required to keep up with the preventive measures and behaviour. The risk of getting the infection will still be on the higher side, even after the first jab.

So, always maintain at least 1m from each other, wear your mask properly, avoid public gatherings as much as you can and wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, or simply use a sanitiser.

Get Ready For the 2nd Jab

Sri Lanka currently makes use of Covishield/AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik V against COVID-19, and all three of them involves two doses, jabbed within a certain number of weeks. Check your vaccination card for the time period of the second shot, and ensure to make the necessary appointment accordingly. It's absolutely important that you don't forget it.