On May 1st, the Government announced that those who wish to receive doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine may book their slot online beginning noon on Sunday (May 2nd).
At first, I was reluctant to volunteer because I was afraid of the fatal side effects (thrombosis, blood clot, etc.) reported in the news. But after having done some readings and equipping myself with more trustworthy info on AZ, I decided to go for it.
So, on that faithful Sunday, the wife and I were ready with our phones at 11.59 AM. At noon, we logged-in to the website, but then found out that it was buggy; We were clicking the boxes, but nothing was happening. A lot of our friends and families were experiencing the same issue.
We were about to give up when my wife heard from her sister and nephew that they managed to book a slot. So, at this point, we were just clicking away on all the possible options without paying attention to the venues or dates.
After almost 50 clicks later, we both got a confirmation.
Although not knowing the where and when, we were thrilled nonetheless.
24 hours later, I got to know that I'll be getting my first dose on June 5th at PWTC whilst my wife on June 1st at the same place.
First Dose: Busy, but Smooth
My experience of the entire process was breezy because my wife was there a few days before me. She had briefed me on things to bring, where to go, what to expect, how long were the waits, etc.
The level of preparedness and professionalism displayed by the whole team surpassed my expections. They were friendly, responsible and clear in giving orders. It was a wrap within 1.5 hours, from the time I exited the car until I got back in the car.
Since we were already in KL, we then decided to drop by our favorite restaurant in Plaza Damas and packed up some comfort food for dinner.
I experienced a very mild side effect after the first dose. I took two tablets of Paracetamol before bed and on the following afternoon, even after waking up rather late, I felt sleepy after lunch and took a 3-hour nap. That was it!
I also followed our doctor's advice to put ice on and around the injection site to reduce the sore arm. And it worked! It was unfortunate for my wife though, that the advice came after her first dose and she suffered sore arm for almost 2 weeks.
Second Dose: Quick & Painless
My second dose was exactly 9 weeks after the first dose, which was on Aug 7th, at the same place.It was a lot quicker this time. I was in and out within 30 minutes! Bumped into an old friend (from where I worked more than 10 years ago) and we caught up on each other's lives.
Unlike the first time, there were less people crowding the area because people already knew their way around and what to expect.
Alhamdulillah, this time, there was zero side effect.
We're also very thankful that Allah made it very easy for us going through this whole vaccination process and througout these tough times.
Get Yourself Vaccinated Pronto!
Our hope is to get our lives back. The life we knew before COVID-19.Where children get to go to school and play with their friends at the playground, families can visit each other, friends can have meals together in restaurants and colleagues can have face-to-face meetings in the same room.
If you haven't, please get yourself vaccinated.