KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Today marks the first day of Malaysia’s opt-in inoculation programme for AstraZeneca-Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine, of which 268,600 Selangor and Kuala Lumpur residents have registered for.
Those who signed up for the AstraZeneca vaccine will be getting their jabs at designated AstraZeneca vaccination centres either in World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL); Ideal Convention Centre, Shah Alam; University Malaya; or University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) from today until June 6.
CodeBlue has prepared a guide for those who are receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine from today onwards.
This guide compiles information from the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Committee (JKJAV) and Vaccine Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s Twitter account.
I Received My AstraZeneca Vaccine Appointment Notification, What’s Next?
You should have received your appointment notification for the AstraZeneca vaccine on the MySejahtera app on your registered mobile phone.
Once you click on the notification, you will be able to view your vaccine appointment date, time, and location. If the appointment date and time is suitable for you, be sure to click “confirm appointment”.
This has to be done within 48 hours of the appointment notification. If you don’t confirm your appointment, it will be cancelled and rescheduled to another date.
Meanwhile, if you cancel your appointment, you will be pushed back to the mainstream National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) — which currently supplies the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines — and you will be vaccinated according to your designated phase. You won’t be able to choose which vaccine you get under PICK. The current Phase Two targets 9.4 million people aged 60 and above, those with underlying health conditions, or people with disabilities.
Your AstraZeneca vaccine appointment is not transferable.
Today Is My Vaccination Day, What Should I Prepare?
On the day of your appointment, ensure that you bring your identification card (IC) or passport and mobile phone with your registered MySejahtera app. You may want to bring a book to pass your time during the 30-minute post-vaccination observation.
For those who do not have the MySejahtera app and who registered for the vaccine through the Vaksin Covid website, you will only need to bring your IC or passport.
Do plan ahead your transportation to the vaccination centre and consider the distance to the site, traffic jam, and parking. Turn up early for your vaccine appointment, around half-an-hour early.
You do not need a permission letter from the police to move across the Klang Valley to get your jab. Khairy said in a statement yesterday that individuals who need to cross district or state lines in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur only need to show their Covid-19 vaccination appointment details displayed on their MySejahtera app, Vaksin Covid website, or SMS at police roadblocks. A Movement Control Order (MCO) will be imposed on six districts in Selangor, surrounding Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, from tomorrow to May 17.
Check-In And Registration
Once you have arrived, check-in your location with the MySejahtera app and do a quick temperature check.
Then, you will have to go to the registration counter where you will need to give your IC or passport to the person-in-charge to register. You will also need to scan the QR code on your MySejahtera app for confirmation of attendance.
Consultation With A Doctor And Signing Consent Form
You will need to go to a counter where a trained medical practitioner will be explaining to you about the AstraZeneca shot and answer all your doubts and concerns regarding the coronavirus vaccine.
Once you have listened to the doctor’s explanation, you will need to sign the consent form in the presence of the doctor.
You do not need to print the consent form at home as it will be provided at the vaccination centre. However, you can choose to read it earlier (click here) before your arrival at the vaccination site to speed things up.
Pre-Vaccination Evaluation For Special Groups
You will need to undergo a pre-vaccination evaluation if you fall under these categories :
- Poor immune system due to certain diseases or on treatment such as cancer patients, patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and patients who are on immunosuppressants.
- Individuals with high bleeding disorders such as those on medications that can cause bleeding, haemophilia patients, patients on follow up due to low-platelet counts etc.
- Individuals who have a history of severe allergies.
This should be done prior to vaccination day and can be done by your regular doctor whom you frequently follow up with. However, if you do not have regular follow-ups with any doctor, you can go to any Klinik Kesihatan for the pre-vaccination evaluation.
The doctor will then decide if you can take the vaccine, or if the appointment should be postponed or cancelled. The doctor will also decide a suitable vaccine for you based on your health condition, time to take the vaccine, and if you should take the vaccine either in a hospital or at a nearest vaccination centre.
You will then need to bring the evaluation letter from your doctor to the vaccination centre.
Vaccination Counter
After signing your consent form, you will need to go to the vaccination counter.
Everyone is encouraged to wear either sleeveless clothing or with sleeves that can be rolled up easily. Muslim women will be vaccinated in gender-segregated areas behind screens.
The vaccinator will then confirm your identity and cross-check your consent form. Roll up your sleeves and you will get the jab in your arm.
Second Dose Appointment
After getting your first dose, you will need to scan the QR code from the MySejahtera app to confirm that you have completed your first Covid-19 vaccination.
JKJAV has made the decision that the second AstraZeneca vaccine dose will be given 12 weeks after the first, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and practice in the United Kingdom (UK).
Hence, once you get your jab, you will go to a verification station to get your appointment for the next dose.
Observation For Adverse Events Following Immunisation
Lastly, you will be sent to a waiting area, in which you will be observed for half an hour for adverse reactions.
You can leave if you do not develop any reactions. If you have any reactions, you will be attended by health care staff immediately.
Post vaccination, within one to two days, you may experience some side effects, such as pain at the site of injection, lethargy, headache, myalgia (muscle pain), fever, and chills.
Do note that if you don’t have any side effects, it doesn’t mean that the vaccine is not working.
Mild side effects can be reported on the MySejahtera application. If the symptoms that you are experiencing are not in the list, you will have to go to the nearest health centre.
Within four days to four weeks after getting the AstraZeneca shot, you need to urgently seek medical attention if you develop symptoms as below, according to Health Minister Dr Adham Baba:
- Worsening headache that is not relieved with painkillers
- Headache that worsens upon laying down or bending
- An unusual headache that may be accompanied by blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, speech difficulty, weakness, drowsiness, or seizures
- New, unexplained petechiae (pinpoint, round spots on the skin), ecchymosis (bruising), or bleeding
- Shortness of breath, chest pains, leg swelling, or persistent abdominal pain
