NUS Student Shares Covid-19 Vaccination Experience After Getting First Jab On 22 May
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced today (31 May) that those below 39 can get their jabs in mid-June.
As many Singaporeans eagerly welcome their turn to get vaccinated, questions on what to expect on-site have also surfaced.
Thanks to an NUS student who recently received her first jab and documented the whole process, we can get a comprehensive idea of what to expect.
Chloe Chew, 22, told MS News that the entire procedure took less than an hour, and cautions against working out before one’s vaccination.
NUS student arrives 30 mins early for vaccination
Chloe’s vaccination is part of NUS’ push for all students who stay on campus to be protected against Covid-19.
So after landing a vaccination appointment at 4.30pm on 22 May, the 22-year-old promptly appeared on-site 30 mins early at 4.04pm.
Upon reaching the vaccination centre, she scanned SafeEntry and sanitised her hands.
Staff at the centre then asked her the following questions:
- whether she’d served any Quarantine Order (QO)
- whether she’d been admitted to a hospital within the last 3 months
- whether she had any family member serving Stay-Home Notices (SHN)
Ticket number gets called in 2 mins
Afterwards, she received a ticket number and sat at the waiting area outside Toa Payoh Community Club (CC).
2 mins later, Chloe’s number was called and she entered the room for registration.
The healthcare staff then asked her a few questions on HIV, pregnancy, allergies and medical history, before handing her a guide on active ageing.
Right, we are as confused as she was.
Receives Covid-19 vaccination together with boyfriend
At 4.12pm, to her surprise, she could enter one of the curtained rooms together with her boyfriend, who was also there to get his jab.
After explaining to them the possible side effects separately, both finished their first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by 4.26pm.
They then moved over to the observation room for their 30-min isolation, which starts the moment one receives their jab.
At 4.56pm, they collected the respective care packages and were good to go.
Couldn’t feel her arm the day after
Rating the level of pain immediately after receiving the shot, Chloe likens it to that of a fresh piercing. “A 1.5 or 2 over 10”, she says.
However, the next day, she experienced a level-6 soreness and exclaimed,
Wow sis, I couldn’t feel my arm at all.
Attributing this to her working out in the morning on 22 May before her Covid-19 jab, she said her muscles were warm and bit tense.
In fact, claiming she could feel the tension in her muscles during the jab, Chloe cautions against working out before vaccination.
But thankfully, she’s regained about 90% of her arm strength by today (31 May).
Vaccination is key to a safer Singapore
It’s a relief to know that her process of getting the first dose of vaccination went so smoothly.
After all, it is one of the key things that could make Singapore safer in the pandemic.
We hope that with Chloe’s guide, more of us can get a better idea of what to expect when it comes to our turn – which, hopefully, is very soon.
Also read:
S’pore Infectious Disease Specialist Answers 15 Of Your Most Burning Covid-19 Questions
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Featured image courtesy from Chloe Chew.
