Getting your COVID shot? SC doctors want you to know what to expect before and after
All South Carolina residents 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination starting this week under the state’s immunization plan. But once you secure an appointment, what’s the best way to prepare, and what should you expect after you get your shot?
Horry County has reached 28,115 coronavirus cases and 154,650 vaccination doses administered, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. In the last week, 270 cases have been reported, part of a downward trend following a surge that lasted much of the winter. Since last March, 433 people in Horry County have died of COVID-19, DHEC figures show.
Horry County ranks third in the state for its vaccination rate, but other counties are lagging behind, partly due to an initial allocation model that wasn’t as equitable as it could have been.
Potential aches, fevers and arm soreness are common after receiving the vaccine, whether it’s Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. People have taken to social media and conversations with friends and family to communicate their experiences with the inoculation, but doctors have their own insight.
The Sun News spoke to doctors to get their top tips for a smooth vaccination experience. Here’s what you need to know.
Trust the science
Doctors across the country, including in South Carolina, have been faced with the task of ensuring confidence in a vaccine that many say is not to be trusted. While it seems like the COVID-19 vaccine was developed at a rapid speed, which some say was too fast to be considered safe, doctors maintain that the early stages of development actually began after the SARS outbreak in 2003.
“They had some baseline information as to what to do if this were to become a problem again, so we had the groundwork laid out,” said Dr. Ramesh Bharadwaj, an infectious disease physician at McLeod Health. “That’s the reason they were able to ramp it up fairly quickly.”
While they understand the nerves behind getting a vaccine that’s unfamiliar and agreed that it’s is a personal choice, physicians compared the coronavirus vaccine to shots that some people may be more comfortable with, like the flu shot or the measles vaccine.
Dr. Paul Richardson, chief medical officer and vice president of medical education at Conway Medical Center, said the annual flu shot has between 30-70% efficacy each year, but the people who do end up getting sick after the shot have a much milder version of the illness. The same goes for the COVID-19 vaccine, he said, except the efficacy rate is higher.
The main goal of vaccination against the coronavirus is to avoid severe illness, hospitalization and death, Richardson said, meaning if people do contract COVID-19 after their shot, it’s likely a milder version. He called that “a win in my book.”
“I want people not to get sick, severely sick … that is the goal, and especially prevent death,” he said. “I’ve got a vaccine that stops you from dying then that’s a win to me.”
Dress for success
Keep in mind that the shot goes into your arm, and vaccine providers need easy access before giving you the vaccine.
“If you were wearing a double turtleneck, three or four layers of underclothing, extremely tight zipper … it’s going to be hard to get to your deltoid, which is your upper arm,” said Dr. Gerald Harmon, vice president of medical affairs at Tidelands Health..
Do your best to manage your nerves
Not many people are fans of getting a needle jabbed into their arm, and some have anxiety so severe it can lead to lightheadedness, spontaneous sweats and even fainting. Harmon and Richardson both said they understood the nerves, but it shouldn’t keep people from getting the shot that can save lives.
“This is not a painful injection by any stretch of the imagination,” Richardson said. “If it’s painful, people seem to have all sorts of anxiety, feeling faint or something of that nature, this is not that way. Just relax and [take a] deep breath.”
Relaxing your arm is important, as tense muscles can make the shot hurt more in some cases. For people who get squeamish around needles, it’s best to avoid looking at the injection site.
Hydration is key
Drinking enough water before getting the shot can help you avoid severe pain and lightheadedness after the shot.
As a general rule, keeping your body hydrated will improve your energy levels and overall physical state, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“When we give them a needle in their arm, they feel pain, it slows your heart rate, drops your blood pressure,” Harmon said. “If they’re dehydrated, they can feel lightheaded and in the worst case they can pass out.”
Avoid other vaccinations within two weeks
In order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, people should avoid getting a different vaccine for two weeks on either end. This is mostly a precaution so doctors can be sure to understand which effects are from which vaccine.
“It really could muddy the waters from a clinical standpoint, if for instance, someone had [a reaction] you wouldn’t know, was it A or was it B?” Richardson said. “You have now way of knowing that if they were given that close together.”
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have a conversation with your doctor
Pregnant women may experience more nerves than most when faced with the decision about whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While there’s limited data on how the vaccination has impacted women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have guidance on the shot, saying “experts believe they are unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna brands use messenger RNA vaccines, which don’t contain the live virus and can’t give someone COVID-19 or cause genetic changes because it doesn’t involve a person’s DNA, according to the CDC.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a viral vector vaccine, according to the CDC, meaning it delivers “instructions” to a person’s cells using a different virus. Johnson & Johnson has tested other viral vector vaccines on people who are pregnant and no adverse pregnancy-related reactions were detected in the mother or the infant.
But because getting the vaccination is a personal choice, doctors recommended speaking with the OB-GYN who’s been giving prenatal care to better understand how it could impact you personally.
After the shot, monitor yourself
Side effects are common after getting the vaccine and shouldn’t deter people from getting inoculated, doctors said. Richardson said he hesitates to call them “side effects,” instead opting for simply “effects,” because the mild symptoms are a natural response.
“That’s the body’s reaction to the vaccine that’s actually making the antibodies that we need,” he said. “No, that is not a side effect. It’s not an allergy.”
Under federal guidelines, vaccine clinics and hospitals have people wait 15 minutes after the injection in case of any potential severe allergic reactions, which are rare. If you have known allergies to other shots, you should tell your provider and they may have you wait 30 minutes after the vaccination to be monitored.
But even after you leave the vaccine site, keep an eye on how you’re feeling. If there’s any you’re not feeling well after, an over-the-counter medication like Tylenol or Motrin could help, doctors said. Be careful not to take the medication preemptively, Bharadwaj said.
“There is some concern that if you premedicate … that might reduce your body’s immune response to the medicine and your protection is not as robust as it would be otherwise,” Bharadwaj said.
He recommended people register for the CDC’s system to monitor reactions to the vaccine, called v-safe.
An ice pack on the injection site can also help the pain. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids after the shot as well.
Don’t hit the gym
Light movement of the arm is recommended, Bharadwaj said, but don’t head to the gym and participate in any strenuous activity on the day of the shot.
“You can do light exercise of your arm, you can do that, and that would help with the pain and discomfort,” he said. “You don’t want to go to the gym and lift 200 pounds.”
