My covid-19 vaccination experience

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So, I know the first question on your mind if you are a Nigerian is, how seamless was the process? This question is mainly because of the engraved suffering – ‘hard work’ mode in our institutions’ processes DNA! Trust me, I get it. And that was why my friends and I got to the centre at 4:30am. Oh, let me rephrase that, one of my friends, Debo, whose house was closer to the centre got there at 4.30am. 

Of course, he wasn’t attended to – they told him, no one would be attended to until 8am. 

Then, I got there some minutes before 5am. I thought I could use my smile and charm to soften the heart of the man my friend had met, to at least give us tally numbers. We were the first people at the centre and had wanted to just get the tally numbers, go for our jog and come back. 

 

Anyways, my charm did not work. We were asked to stand outside the primary health centre’s gate until 8am. Then, we thought to ourselves, we can’t leave this place without a number. Luckily my other friend, Dekemi had a pen and paper with her. 

Boy, we automatically created a list and became the unofficial coordinators of the list and queue. 

 

Dekemi took the first 1hr,30mins (5am – 6:30am) shift standing throughout outside the gate and coordinating people to write their names on the paper. I met and made friends with two lovely ladies – Joy and Sinmi. Joy and I took over the next shift (6:30am – 8am). And as you can imagine, at 6am, there were already about 35 people at the centre, standing or sitting in their cars. At 7am, we were over 70 people at the centre!

 

We were addressed by the medical personnel in charge at 8:10am. Then, we heard that the list may not be used😟. The usual talk, based on their previous experiences, fights, and the mandatory phase 1 frontline workers priority list. This means that, if you are a health worker, teacher, or aged above 70 years (and some other occupations, can’t recall), you will be allowed in first. Then, if there are still spaces left, they may allow a certain number of the general public not within the listed Phase 1 category, for the vaccination process. 

 

Anyways, we listened and told the woman (matron I believe) that we were organized and would help coordinate the process. Oh, did I tell you that I got a nick-name at the centre (a.k.a class captain) LOL! 

The first 20 from the general public got access into the premises about 9am. I was number two on the list and didn’t finish the entire process until about 11am. There were moments we had to wait for the vaccine to arrive, the cards to be filled, and all the general regular shenanigans. 

 

In a nutshell: 

1.     Try as much to get there early.

2.     If you are a frontline worker, ensure you have your ID card with you. 

3. There is an online registration link, ensure you register online before going there – nphcdaict.com.ng

4.   Be civil and coordinated. There’s no need to rush or fight. If you can volunteer to lead the process and ensure civility as a good citizen, please do. 

5.    Only aged 70 and above are classified as senior citizens – but well, yea, some Daddies and Mummies were allowed, no big deal. 

6.     If you have a foldable chair, come with it. You may need one if you don’t have a car to sit in. 

7.   After the vaccine, you will be mandated to wait at the centre for 15mins in order for them to monitor any possible reactions to the vaccine. The matron assured us that so far, there haven’t been any severe reactions to the vaccine. Some people may however experience some mild side-effects. 

8.     Make sure you eat something before going and have your paracetamol (no Ibrupofen or any of the fen-related medications) handy to use (before) and after the vaccine. This is very important! 

9.   If you don’t have to go to work immediately, take some time to monitor your body and perhaps rest.

 

Side Effects Experienced:

 

Personally, I felt weak slightly, had mild pain on the arm that was injected and, had headaches – well, my headache was sort of bad because I didn’t catch enough sleep the night before and the whole stress of standing/waiting for hours. 

But really, nothing severe. The matron mentioned that some people may experience fever and some or all of the side-effects that I had. So, all I did was eat and slept for a couple of hours.

 

Other very important things to note: 

1.     You will be given a card after your vaccine injection – keep it safe. 

2.     There are two doses required for maximum protection, you have 3 months apart from the first dose date and the second, take note of your next appointment date.

3.   There are different brands of the vaccine – AstraZeneca/Oxford was administered at my centre and will be administered nationally (in Nigeria). So, ensure that your next dose is also the same brand and not any of the other two – Johnson& Johnson or Pfizer.

 

Don’t panic. Even if you experience any side effects, just drink lots of water and rest. 

It is past 7pm and I still feel slight pains on my arm and slight headaches. But, hey, I can write to you to read about my experience. So, you see, it’s not that bad, really😃.

By the way, I used the Ikate Primary Health Centre, Lekki. 

If you have done yours, feel free to share your experience - side effects, if any, in the comment section, please. 

 

Love always, 

TA