Cape Town - There has been a lot of talk about the side-effects caused by the two vaccines being administered in the country.
The two vaccines are Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
A Khayelitsha woman, Nosidima Matadi, went for her first jab this week and said she got sick after being vaccinated.
The site she went to has different provincial departments next to Khayelitsha District Hospital.
“I went in, the health worker who administered the vaccine never asked or explained anything to me, she only asked me of any illnesses after she gave me the jab,” she said.
Matadi said on her way home she started feeling the effects and had to call her son to come pick her up because she was feeling nauseous.
She said she had to miss work this week as a result and she doesn’t know what to take or where to go to get help.
“I still have a huge headache that will not go away,” she said.
She added that her sister was also supposed to go for her vaccine this week but after hearing what she went through she is scared and refuses to go.
Thandolwethu Mncedani, from Stellenbosch, said he will not get vaccinated because he doesn’t see the point.
“After hearing that you can still get the virus after getting vaccinated, what is the point when it is not protecting you from getting it, I will not go,” he said.
He said he also heard that after getting a jab chances are one will suffer from the after effects.
Spokesperson for the provincial department of Health, Natalie Watlington said, the Pfizer vaccine is being administered in the Cape Metro, including Khayetlisha and Eastern Substructure.
She said all health workers sit with the clients and explain the process and have to ask questions concerning the patient’s health before administering the vaccine.
“Mild side-effects are common in the first three days and these can include any one or more of the following: the arm is sore or red at the injection site, fever/chills, headache, fatigue, muscle aches or nausea,” said Watlington.
She said side-effects can start around six hours after the vaccine and usually resolve in two to three days, and advised that if needed, one can treat the pain and fever with paracetamol.
It was reported that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) told MPs on Wednesday it is probing adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines.
Acting minister of Health Mmamokolo Kubayi said on Friday, vaccines like any other medication, has side-effects.
“Different individuals will experience these side-effects differently, some less severe, some more severe and there are those who say they did not experience any effects,” she said.
She said they are concerned that there is a growing spread of fake news and false narratives about the side effects of vaccines.
These stories are aimed at creating panic around the vaccination programme and discourage people from vaccination, she said.
“The vaccination of the over 35s has been going very well, we encourage more people within the age group to go out and vaccinate,” added Kubayi.
Weekend Argus