Since the government announced that it will undertake vaccination for every citizen, I have been waiting for more details on how and when it will happen and who it will happen for, etc. Over time, the government has become more clear. announcing who will be vaccinated first, etc. The ride started and so did people like me curiosity to know “what was it like”. Some of the obvious questions that came to mind were “is it painful”, “how long does the pain last”, “would there be side effects”, “would it have a long-term impact”, “would it? takes care of all strains of virus, “would there be a fever after vaccination,” etc. In the meantime, my mother, who is 75, was vaccinated and some of these questions were answered.
Within days of the government’s announcement of opening the vaccine to citizens over the age of 45, me and my wife decided to make an appointment through the Arogya Setu app. We had consciously chosen to go for the ‘paid’ category so that the ‘unpaid’ can become available to deserving people. We booked an appointment for me and the appointment was granted for April 6 at Jupitor Hospital, Thane. I had agreed / adjusted my official appointments for April 6 and 7 accordingly, as most who had taken the vaccine before me advised so. A surprise awaited me when I landed at the Jupitor hospital at the appointed time. The volunteer there did not find my name in his list. I showed him the appointment screenshot to find out that the appointment was actually for March 6 and not April 6. This was apparently a glitch in the Arogya Setu app when we booked my appointment in the last week of March. Also, the vaccination was not initiated on March 6, 45 years and older. After pointing this out to the volunteer, he recommended that I make another appointment. Fortunately, I got an appointment for the following afternoon at Highway Hospital, Thane. This time I double checked if the date was indeed April 7th.
I reached the hospital at the indicated time and was immediately directed to a waiting room where they issued a token and verified my details. Within 5 minutes I was shown into a room and had to sit in a comfortable chair while the doctor prepared to inject the vaccine. As is the prevailing trend, I called the nurse to take a picture of me while I was being vaccinated! The whole process was over in 5 minutes after which I had to sit in an adjoining room for 30 minutes. There were several others sitting there waiting for their 100 feet to pass so they could be free. A volunteer was keeping time and releasing those “whose time was up” !! He also advised everyone to take a tablet of paracetamol for physical pain, headaches or fever. I walked out of the room after my wait was over and left the hospital with a sense of accomplishment and pride.
When I got home I attended some of the official appointments and it went all fine until the early evening. By 7:00 PM I started to feel a little tired and had both a mild headache and a fever. When I checked the temperature it was 98. Before going to sleep that night I took a paracetamol tablet as advised. I couldn’t afford to be down the next day as I had several official commitments.
I woke up the next day (April 8) feeling a bit under the weather. The mild headache persisted and started to get feverish again by noon. I also developed joint pain and felt very uncomfortable all day long. That night I had another acetaminophen tablet and slept reassuring myself that it would be all right the next day.
Luckily my reassurance worked and I woke up on the 9th feeling completely fit and well. Overall, I am happy with the experience as I now have a new story to tell !!
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DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in this article should not be construed as a substitute for the advice of a physician. Consult your treating physician for more details.