Hello! In this post I will share my personal experience of getting vaccinated with my first dose of AstraZeneca (AZ) in the UK.
The reason why I am writing about this today is because with Malaysia starting its voluntary vaccination sign-up for AZ, I understand that there is a lack of information as to what the side effects are for AZ and how common they are.
Since Malaysia started its mainstream vaccination programme early this year, the only vaccines being offered have been Pfizer and Sinovac (as I understand), hence the lack of clarity. This is unlike in the UK, where 21.2 million doses of AZ have been administered as of April 21st, 2021. 21,200,000 doses, with 168 blood clot reports, of which 32 died. 8 cases of blood clots per million. Other countries like Germany have reported 11 cases per million, as of April 9th, 2021.
The media, as usual, has sensationalised the blood clot reports. Whilst I cannot say that I was leaping for joy at the way things began to unfold during the weeks after my first AZ dose on the 26th of March, I obviously do not regret getting the vaccine.
However, with the AZ sign-up starting tomorrow, I wish to shine some clarity on what exactly the side effects of AZ were like for me. This is purely anecdotal and does not necessarily apply to you. I am a South-east asian female in my 20s. I have no idea whether the side effects are worse in certain demographics. Hence, whilst my experience is informative, it is not representative and certainly not definitive.
On the 26th of March, I was vaccinated around 3pm. Before I was vaccinated, the GP who was going to stick me informed me that it is very common to experience muscle ache where the injection site is, as well as fatigue and chills. It is common to have a fever, but it should subside within 48 hours.
Below is more information on the side effects of AZ, taking from the UK government website. I recommend you to read this to make an informed decision.
As far as I can remember, I had never had side effects to any vaccine before that amounted to anything more than muscle ache around the injection site. I have been getting the flu vaccine every year since studying in the UK so I am using those experiences as reference.
However, after getting the AZ vaccine, I did experience a number of side effects as listed below.
- Feverish/ Chills (cannot tell if I had a fever as I did not have a thermometer at home)
- Headache
- Fatigue /feeling tired
- Unwell
- Muscle ache
- Dizziness
I will elaborate on them in more detail now.
Around 5 hours after I was vaccinated, I started feeling unwell around 8pm. Before then, I felt perfectly normal whilst out and about celebrating the end of exams with a few friends.
At 8pm, after returning from my day out, I sat at the dining table and started feeling the fever rise. The best way I can describe it- it was like steam rising to the top of my head. The fever started from my feet and then made its way up to my head. I immediately took a paracetamol, but within an hour, the fever had worsened. I started experiencing a generalised headache and chills.
By 11pm, I was completely incapacitated. On top of everything I had just mentioned, I also had muscle ache all over my body. I am trying so hard not to exaggerate my symptoms, but I think I would allow myself an exception for this one- the muscle ache was god-awful. It felt like I was trapped inside another person's body, one that was sickly and disabled. Every muscle in my body felt like it was being compressed, and coupled with my fever and headache, I could not sleep a wink until 3am. It was really hard to sleep when I was hyperaware of every part of my body that hurt. I was feverish, but I was shivering under the blankets. My head felt like it was being squashed by a giant pair of hands, and my muscles were screaming.
Also, I do not care that this is TMI or whatever, but I also had this bladder oversensitivity that got me going to the bathroom every 10 minutes or so, but without much flow. Why? Honestly, I do not know. No one else amongst my medical friends (we all got vaccinated on the same day) experienced this, but when I described it to them, they likened what I experienced to that of a urinary tract infection (UTI). I have never had a UTI before, so I would not know.
I slept for around three hours that night and woke up at 5am, feeling like death itself. My symptoms were still very much active and kicking. All the energy had also been zapped out of my system, so I really struggled to get out of bed and microwave a bowl of canned soup for myself. I drank the soup and watched as the sun rose over the beautiful horizon outside my window. Then, I took another 2 paracetamols.
At 6am, I decided that 3 hours of sleep was pathetic and promptly went back to bed, despite the pain. With sunlight piercing through my curtains and warming the top of my head, I fell back into troubled sleep.
At 8am, I woke up and it was like the veil of fever-induced haze had been lifted, and my mind was clear once again. The headache was almost gone, and I was no longer as feverish as I was before. I was still fatigued, but the muscle pain had mostly subsided.
Based on my calculations, the worst of my side effects lasted for around 12 hours. I spent the rest of the day taking it easy and gradually recovering. I did go out for a walk and noticed that every time I turned my head, I felt slightly dizzy- like I was experiencing vertigo. Once again, I have never experienced this before so it was all very novel to me. I still went out for a bonfire that night and whilst it was probably not my wisest decision, I still enjoyed myself and it did not worsen my symptoms.
That night, I fell asleep just fine, but I did wake up once or twice during the night covered in cold sweat. There was no more fever by then. I think my body was basically kicking up a fuss for the final time before it settled.
All in all, it took me approximately 2-3 days to fully recover from the side effects. The first 12 hours were objectively terrible, but the side effects left just as quickly as they came the following morning.
It has been a little more than 4 weeks since my first dose, and I have not experienced anything out of the ordinary, though I would say that my menses this month was more painful than it usually is.
I have spoken to my other medical friends who got vaccinated on the same day as me. Out of 10 of them, around 6-7 of them seemed to have similar side effects to what I had experienced, though I am not privy to their severity because I obviously did not see them in person when they were going through it. Anecdotally, it would seem that it is common for young people in their 20s like myself to experience unpleasant side effects from AZ. I cannot speak for older age groups.
However, as unpleasant as the experience was, I am extremely grateful that I got the opportunity to be vaccinated. It is a privilege that one should not take for granted.
Hence, to those who are fearful of the side effects of AZ vaccine, or vaccines in general, as much as I completely understand your fear, I wish to reassure you that (i) the chances of you getting blood clots are almost one in a million, (ii) the side effects should not last anything more than 3 days.
Whenever I think of the first 12 hours of my side effects, all I can think of is that if just the virus vector was enough to elicit this kind of reaction from my body, I shudder to imagine what the real virus could do to me. As much as you might fear the unknown that is vaccines, I really think that fear is misplaced- you should honestly fear getting infected with the virus a lot more.
Long-term effects of Covid (Long Covid) have gradually become more well established over the course of this pandemic. An immunologist from Imperial College London warned that up to 20% of Covid patients may develop Long Covid.
If you are not already aware of what Long Covid is, it is a group of symptoms that last weeks or months after the Covid infection has gone.
Common Long Covid symptoms include:
extreme tiredness (fatigue)
shortness of breath
chest pain or tightness
problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
heart palpitations
dizziness
pins and needles
joint pain
depression and anxiety
tinnitus, earaches
feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
rashes
- and whilst most people make a recovery within 12 weeks (not 12 hours mind you- does this not put everything in perspective?), for some people the symptoms might last longer. Anecdotally, I am sure we all have heard some horror stories about Covid patients suffering from long-term disabilities even after recovering from the infection.
Hence, I urge you to not allow your fear, or your parents' fear for that matter, to blind you to what truly matters.
It is nearly 1am- I write this in hope to change a few of your minds out there. There is a limited number of AZ doses anyway, only 268,800. The only reason why it is being made voluntary and not included in the mainstream vaccination programme is to give people the right to choose. It does not mean that this vaccine is inferior or problematic, as much as the backlash in the media would suggest otherwise. Do not focus too much on the statistics. Do your research and put things in perspective.
Whilst I experienced some unpleasant side effects during the first 12 hours, it is NOTHING compared to getting infected with Covid and potentially suffering from Long Covid after. We Malaysians have been waiting for more than a year for this vaccine. Do not let your fear cloud your judgement now.
Of course, I am aware that my Malaysian friends on social media are well educated and are probably going to sign up for this AZ vaccine, if they have not been vaccinated already.
If you are still teetering on the edge of indecision, please do your research and satisfy yourself (and your parents) that you should seize this opportunity to be vaccinated. It is a privilege that many people around the world are literally dying to have. It is heartbreaking. In addition, please advise your friends and family who are vulnerable in terms of age or being immunocompromised to sign up for this vaccine today. Here is the link again. They might be the ones who are most fearful, but you have a moral responsibility, as do I as a medical student, to correct their misperceptions and try and reassure them.
Also, please consider donating to various credible charities around the world that are supplying medical oxygen to countries like India where the healthcare system has long collapsed under the pressure from Covid.
Final note- if you have gotten vaccinated (esp with AZ), please share your experience in the comments. I believe the best way to counter misinformation is to say it as it is. That way, those who are considering signing up can make an informed decision.
Of course, as usual, please leave any questions in the comment section and I will promptly answer. I am happy to go into as much detail as I can remember.
Jie Fei