Vaccine side effects are normal
The Coordinator of the Greater Gaborone District Health Management Team (DHMT) Kgomotso Moruisi has advised any person that notices worrying Covid-19 vaccine after-effects to report to the nearest clinic.
This comes after some Batswana confirmed spending the first few days confined to their beds after getting the Covid-19 jab, especially those that took the Johnson and Johnson jab.
They complain of terrible headaches, dizziness, fever, and general body pains among other things.
“We advise that they report back to clinics. We will also remind vaccination site managers to sensitise the public about what to expect after getting the vaccine,” Moruisi said. Greater
Gaborone District vaccine recipients picked at random shared their experiences with The Midweek Sun this week. Joseph Gabalebatse who had previously tested positive said having to deal with the same pain after vaccination is truly defeating because it is just like being sick from Covid-19 all over again.
“I am on day five since vaccination and I have been battling a strange fever, one moment I am hot and sweating, the other I am extremely cold. I have no appetite and find it hard to swallow as my throat dries up and it hurts,” Gabalebatse said. Phenyo Setswe said she woke up to a swollen left shoulder the next day. The pain was extremely unbearable! She felt weak and could not move a muscle. “I resorted to drinking lots of water and it helped a great deal. I also took painkillers to ease the pain. Today I feel much better,” she shared.
George Tshikare and Anastacia Makwa shared a different experience, saying they were as fit as a fiddle and up and running the next day. No side effects and no pain for them. However, they are alive to complaints from friends and relatives about how the vaccine was making people sick. The Ministry of Health and Wellness spokesperson Christopher Nyanga said in a previous interview that common side effects of the vaccine include pain or swelling on the body part where the needle was inserted during vaccination, headache, fever, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, cough, muscle pain, rash, diarrhoea, and others. He said the side effects can range from mild to moderate.