Yup, the topic of 2021, COVID-19 vaccines ! One year after battling COVID-19 pandemic and staying home through numerous different versions of MCOs, we started embarking into the next phase with a sign of hope to go back to our “normal, normal” (not the “new normal”) life. With the first phase of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme began on 24th February for healthcare professionals and other frontliners, in this two-series, pharmacists from different sectors shared with us their experiences of getting the COVID-19 vaccines themselves. 

Quick intro, we have two COVID-19 vaccine champions for this first series, Sally and Revethi. Sally is a PRP in a government hospital who received her first COVID-19 vaccine on 17th March in her hospital. Whereas, Revethi is a PRP in a government clinic who received her first COVID-19 vaccine on the 13th March at a different clinic.

Step 1: Registration

For the general public, registration for the vaccine can be done via 5 avenues; MySejahtera app, Hotline, JKJAV website, manual registration at healthcare facilities and outreach programs. However, for healthcare professionals, there might be slight differences in the registration steps depending on the facilities. 

S: In my hospital, staff had to fill up an online form indicating whether we’re interested to get the vaccine in addition to answering some health risk assessment questions which were fully coordinated by the Occupational Safety and Health Department. So I ticked yes to receiving the vaccine, both in the hospital form and MySejahtera app.    

R: In my clinic, the staff had to register through the MySejahtera app, giving their consent to take the vaccine or not. We had a name list of people that wanted to take the vaccine, alongside our address and phone number, which passed on to our Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah.

Step 2: Get your appointment date

Just to note, this part might take awhile after submitting your consent of receiving the vaccine. Bear in mind, there are lots of scheduling and planning behind the scenes to allocate your time, date and place to receive the vaccine. This is to optimise the number of doses to administer in a day to prevent wastage of the vaccine in addition to crowd control, space management and number of staff available on the sites to coordinate the whole vaccination session. 

It’s best to check your MySejahtera regularly to find out your appointment date. Once the dose appointment date appears in your MySejahtera app, don’t forget to click “Confirm appointment” 

S:  Yeah, I lost count of the days I had to wait to know when I’m getting the vaccines, but when I found out, I was over the moon! Ok, a little exaggeration there, but I was excited (and blessed) to be allocated to get the vaccine during the first phase. I was informed on my appointment details through my hospital first, and this information was only updated later in my MySejahtera app, about 2 days before my appointment date.

R: I was kinda nervous but excited to know when my 1st dose appointment was going to be. Finally, after getting the details from the head of my clinic and through the MySejahtera app (about 2 days before the actual vaccination date), I was relieved and even more excited to get the vaccine.

Step 3: Be present at your Vaccine Administration Centre on the appointed day and time

It’s D-DAY! Exciting, nerve-wrecking, anxious, you name it, we had them, and so will everyone eligible for the vaccine. In spite of feeling all that adrenaline rush, DON’T FORGET to bring your IC, your smartphone with MySejahtera app, wear short sleeves and/or loose shirts and be at the vaccination site at least 15 minutes earlier from the scheduled time. Once you arrive at the vaccination centre, just follow the instructions given by the on-site staff and you’ll be good to go.     

S: For me, I was more to feeling excited and ‘ahh, like finally it’s my turn!’. Compared to my colleagues and peers, I was kinda the few last ones getting the first dose of vaccine, so I’ve heard so many stories and experiences, from the good ones and not-so-good ones. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to finally getting the vaccine. My vaccination site will be at my hospital, so I joined the queue about 1 hour earlier than the appointed time (Yeah, I know, so kiasu!). Show the MySejahtera app to the staff, scan the QR code, fill up a consent form, confirm my identity with my IC, obtain a physical vaccination card and finally wait for my turn to be called. The wait for me was about one hour, yeah do expect a long wait, everyone.       

R: When I arrived at the allocated vaccination location, I was quickly guided by the staff on what to do and it didn’t feel like a burdening process. The process of registering is the same as what Sally mentioned and all of this took me about half an hour. Right before as I was called for, they did a 10-minute briefing about the vaccine itself, possible side effects and what to do post-vaccination. It could be different for other places, depending on the crowd and other factors.

Step 4: Get your vaccine moment

Drumrolls, please. It’s finally the moment all of us are waiting for, injecting the vaccine time! In you go to the vaccination room, a short briefing, needle in and voila, your first dose of vaccine is in your body ready for action.

S: It’s finally my turn, got called to the vaccination room. Submit the consent form, re-confirmed on my allergy status, scan a QR code of the vaccine information using MySejahtera. Then, a staff briefed me on the vaccine brand I’ll be taking, and the common side effects that I can expect and to inform any staff if I experienced some warning signs. Sleeve up, quick needle in on my left arm and I just felt a slight pinch.  

R: I got called into the vaccination room as soon as it was my turn. I had the opportunity to see how the process of getting the vaccine ready went about as I was the first one to receive the first dose of the vial. The nurse in charge explained what vaccine I was getting as well as the possible side effects that I might experience, again. The nurse told me not to worry and that I would feel a slight pinch. Rolled my sleeves and closed my eyes, and it was done before I knew it. I barely felt a thing.

Step 5: Post-vaccination observation

This step is also as vital as the previous step since this is the first time our bodies are exposed to COVID-19 vaccine. You might need to wait for 15 or 30 minutes depending on your previous history of allergies. Watch out for any abnormal symptoms and do inform the staff, but rest assured most of us will feel fine. It’s also time to capture some pictures for your own keepsake, this is definitely once in a lifetime experience. 

S: Next, I moved to the post-vaccination area to be observed for 15 minutes. A short briefing again by the staff to ensure that we inform them if we felt anything that’s weird or not normal. The whole time, I was feeling great, took some pictures, and fifteen minutes passed by without any issue. 

R: We were told to wait at the post-vaccination/observation area for 30 minutes. Right as I entered the area, I got my blood pressure taken, was asked if I am experiencing any side effects and was told to immediately go to the nearest staff if I was.  While waiting, I was catching up with my friends and just felt normal until our 30 minutes were up and after too.

Step 6: Get your second dose appointment 

If all goes well, you will be leaving the vaccination site in no time. Do not forget to obtain your second dose appointment date and your vaccination card before you go on with your lives. 

S: No major issues during the first dose post-vaccination, so I received the next appointment for the second dose which will be 21 days later. Received my physical vaccination card and left the vaccination site. For me, the whole process from queueing up to leaving the site took about 3 hours.

Step 7: Back to your daily routine 

Depending on individuals, some might experience different common side effects which include fever, chills, muscle aches, pain at the injection site and reporting these side effects to NPRA are highly encouraged. Although rare, if you do experience any worsening symptoms, it’s best to get medical attention and inform healthcare professionals the date you’ve gotten the vaccine. 

S: For me, I just felt some soreness on the injection site that started right after getting the injection and lasted about 2 days. Pretty normal I would say, as I’ve experienced this for my other previous vaccinations like Hepatitis B and HPV. No debilitating symptoms that affect my daily routine, so all good !

R: Me, too! I think I was mentally preparing myself for the worst (haha) but nothing major happened. I was very surprised that the pain at the injection site subsided after 1 ½ days. I did not take any medication to ease the pain but I did have a heating patch on to soothe it. I did report the side effect that I experienced on the MySejahtera app. 

Step 8: Show up at your Vaccine Administration Centre on the appointed day and time x2

Yas! Set a reminder and don’t forget to go for your second dose of vaccine to ensure that you’re fully protected. DON’T forget to bring your physical COVID-19 vaccination card as well too!

Step 9: Repeat step 4-5

Queue, verifying identity, wait, sleeves up and vaccine in, you’re all set and done. Do inform the staff if you experienced severe side effects during your first vaccine dose. Otherwise, you’ll be fine and good to go for a second dose.  

S: I got my second dose on the 7th of April, exactly 21 days later. The steps of getting the vaccine are the same as the previous first dose, just the staff will ask if I experienced any severe side effects during the first dose. For me, I just had some soreness at the injection site so I’m good to receive the second dose. 

R: I got mine on the 3rd of April, exactly 3 weeks later as well. The process was pretty much the same as getting the first dose.

Step 10: Completed two doses of my COVID-19 vaccine

✔️ COVID-19 Vaccine full dose. Some might experience more side effects especially during the second dose. Get some good rest and it will go away in about 1-2 days. If it’s anything severe, do refer to your doctor. Nonetheless, we still have to wear face masks, sanitise hands and practice physical distancing even after getting the vaccine. 

S: For me, my second dose went well, actually better than the first dose haha, just slight injection site soreness but not as bad as the first dose. Truly blessed to receive the two full doses of COVID-19 vaccine. 

R: I had moderate side effects, I would say. I had muscle soreness at the injection site. I also developed fever, muscle aches, chills and rigor and I only took some paracetamol, which helped a lot. I wasn’t too worried about the side effects as I knew my body was giving out an immune response to the vaccine. Nevertheless, I was happy to get vaccinated. 

Some final words 

S: The benefits of getting the COVID-19 definitely outweighs the risks and I would unquestionably rather pick the vaccine than getting the disease, If you’re unsure about the vaccines, speak to a healthcare professional to address your questions and concerns. Most importantly, always get your information sources and news fact-checked. I chose to be vaccinated to protect myself, my community and my people around me. Let’s do our part in putting a full stop to this pandemic #LindungDiriLindungSemua #igotMYshot

R: I know a lot of people have reservations and opinions about getting the vaccine and to be honest, I had some too. But I choose to vaccinate myself to protect my family, friends and community as I am a healthcare worker and potentially, exposing myself. As Sally mentioned, if you want to clear up some doubts, speak to a healthcare professional to get a better picture. I honestly do believe that the benefits of getting COVID-19 vaccine definitely outweighs the risk. #igotMYshot #KitaJagaKita 

These words are based on our personal experiences and may differ depending on your vaccination administration centre and individual response to the vaccine. Our words should not replace any professional medical advice.  For further information, do contact a healthcare professional or your vaccination site. 

This article is contributed by Sally Ng (current PRP in government hospital) and Revethi (current PRP in government clinic).

The opinions expressed in the article are the writers’ own and do not reflect the view of MPS YPC.