Every person over the age of 18 years should be eligible for COVID vaccination.  Those with health conditions (known as co-morbidities) such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, heart conditions or lung disease are given priority for vaccination because they are more likely to progress to severe disease if they get infected with COVID.

Pre Vaccination Check List

Pre-vaccination assessment (PVA) is an assessment conducted by your own doctor to determine your suitability to receive a COVID vaccine and the timing to receive the vaccine.  Don’t worry because MOST people don’t need this unless you belong to these 3 groups of patients who require PVA;

1. Immunocompromised patients are patients with diseases or on medications that can compromise or suppress their immune system. These patients include those on active cancer treatment, those who had organ transplants, those with chronic HIV infection or those on immune-suppressing medications

2. Patients with bleeding tendency or on medications which can cause bleeding or interfere with the body’s ability to stop bleeding. These include patients with haemophilia or those being followed up due to very low platelet levels or those on high doses of anticoagulants

3. Patients with history of severe allergy to previous vaccines or to multiple medications

Following PVA, your doctor will decide whether, you;

• can receive vaccination at any time
• can receive vaccination but at later time (deferred)
• cannot receive vaccination at any time (absolute contraindication)

Vaccination Day

On the day of vaccination, you should turn up around 15-30 minutes before your vaccination time.  Put on your mask because there will be many people around you.  Wear comfortable clothes and bring some water along because there may be a long wait at your vaccination centre.  Do be patient because the health professionals are doing their best to get everyone vaccinated as fast as they can.

What to bring to the vaccination centre

• Your mobile phone with your MySejahtera app details and CORRECT vaccination date
• Your IC (Malaysians) or Passport (non-Malaysians)
• Pen (to fill in and SIGN consent form)
• Drinking water (there are NO convenience stores nearby)

Click to view NIH video on what to expect on Vaccination Day

Post Vaccination Monitoring

After COVID immunisation, you should stay within the vaccination centre to be monitored.  You should inform the nurse or doctor if you feel unwell, dizzy, develop skin rashes, cold sweats, mouth swelling or have difficulty breathing;

• If you have a history of allergy, you should be observed for at least 30 minutes post vaccination
• Otherwise, you should be observed for at least 15 minutes post vaccination

Click to view NIH video on what to expect on After Vaccination

Side effects

After your vaccination, it is common to get fever, chills, headache, tiredness as well as tenderness, pain and/or redness with swelling at the injection site, all of which generally resolve within 2-3 days of rest and adequate hydration with fluids.  You can take some Paracetamol (like Panadol) but not aspirin or NSAIDs.  Avoid alcohol and strenuous physical exercises for the first few days after your vaccination.   On rare occasions, some vaccines may trigger anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction as well as blood clots. 

Severe reactions to vaccinations are rare.  Do see a doctor if you experience dizziness, skin rashes or shortness of breath

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Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contains general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.