By Ajita Rijal
Kathmandu, Feb. 1: The COVID-19 vaccines, considered as the most effective remedy to fight against the global coronavirus pandemic, are finally being administered among frontliners in all seven provinces of the nation from last Wednesday.
As per the commitment of the government, it will take three months for inoculations to reach everyone based on current prioritised plans.
Having some side effects from receiving a vaccine is not unusual; this is what the health experts are saying since the development of vaccines. It is not unusual for some people to experience mild effects like headaches, muscle ache, mild fever, soreness and dizziness, among others, according to health experts.
Health experts have said that COVID-19 vaccination will protect from getting infected with COVID-19. “You may have some side effects, which are normal signs,” said Dr. Rabindra Pandey, a public health expert.
“Yesterday, I myself got the shot, I felt dizziness and felt like vomiting, nausea and rise in body temperature,” said Dr. Pandey, adding that all the symptoms have slowly gone away except some pain on my left arm where I got the jab.
Other health workers who received the vaccinealong with me have shared that they also experienced similar symptoms, but they are fine now, said Dr. Pandey and added that onlyfew may show severe symptoms after receiving the jab.
According to Dr. Anup Bastola, chief consultant at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku, of the 29 health workers working in the Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and the Emergency and COVID wards, 23 experienced some side effects within eight hours of taking the jab.
Dr. Bastola shared that 25 per cent experienced pain at the injected place, 18 per cent developed chills, 17 per cent had headache, 14 per cent had myalgia (muscle pain), 11 per cent had fever and another 11 per cent felt dizziness. Likewise, four per cent complained of swelling at the injected site, shortness of breath, vomiting and erythema (redness of skin).
After being vaccinated, Amee Thapaliya, a nurse, said she felt dizziness and headache, which lasted for two hours.
Thapaliya was beset by soreness in arm and felt a rise in temperature, however, “all symptoms resolved after 12 hours,” she said.
Muna KC, a sanitation worker, is relieved to have taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “At first, I was so worried about the side effects of vaccine but after I got vaccinated, I didn’t feel severe pain but some simple headache and dizziness.”
“I am feeling good and very happy now, and looking forward to getting the second dose as well,” said KC.
The government plans to administer the first dose of AstraZeneca’s ‘Covishield’ vaccine to 430,000 people by February 5, in the first phase of the ongoing vaccination drive.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), 88,007 people in 77 districts have been inoculated against COVID-19 until Sunday, since the vaccination began on Wednesday.
“On the basis of data received today on the fifth day of the vaccination campaign, 88,007 people of 77 districts have received the vaccine from 185 vaccination centres,” shared MoHP Spokesperson Dr. Jageshwor Gautam.
As many as 12,763 people have been vaccinated in Province 1, while 11,057 in Province 2 and 28,683 in Bagmati have been vaccinated with the first dose.
Likewise, 12,311 in Gandaki, 10,760 in Lumbini, 5,556 in Karnali and 6,877 in Sudurpaschim have received the jab till date, according to the latest update.