So, you made an appointment to get the COVID vaccine, it’s on your calendar and you have plans to go to the vaccination site – or maybe you already have yours. Well done. There’s just one more important step to making sure you keep yourself and others safe: Find out what not to do right after getting the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled a list of potential errors to avoid. Here are the five most important ones. Keep reading – and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss out on these Signs that your disease is actually a coronavirus in disguise.
The CDC recommends that you stay at the vaccine site for 15 minutes after receiving the injection to ensure that you do not have an allergic reaction to the injection. The exception: if you have a history of severe allergic reactions, you should wait half an hour there.
Allergic reactions are very rare, but if you have one, health professionals at the vaccine site are trained to help. The most common severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis, a swelling of the airways that can be fatal. Again, it is extremely rare! But be aware that you should immediately inform local staff if you are not feeling well soon after receiving the vaccine.
According to the CDC, the most commonly reported side effects of the COVID vaccine are pain, redness or swelling at the injection site; fatigue; headache; muscle pain; fever; chills; and nausea. You may also develop a “COVID arm”, a rash or swelling on the injection arm, which may appear about a week after vaccination. Side effects are a good sign – they mean that your body is preparing an immune response. (On the other hand, having no side effects does not mean that the vaccine is not working.)
“We are still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19,” says the CDC. “After you have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should continue to take precautions in public places, such as wearing a mask, staying two meters away from others and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.”
If you’ve been fully vaccinated, it’s okay to meet other unmasked people in certain situations, says the CDC. You can remove your mask if you are fully vaccinated and are meeting indoors with other people who are fully vaccinated, or if you are meeting indoors with unvaccinated members of another family. (But if you’re around someone at risk of serious COVID-19, you’d better be masked.)
The CDC still recommends that Americans avoid domestic and international travel, even after you have been vaccinated. “Traveling increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19, “says the agency.” The CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from the COVID-19. “
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As for you, do everything you can to avoid getting – and spreading – COVID-19 in the first place: Wear a face mask, get vaccinated as soon as possible, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars and parties at home), practice social detachment, perform only essential tasks, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces and to overcome this pandemic in the healthiest way, do not miss these 35 places you’re most likely to reach COVID.