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What to expect

  • If you have registered for your COVID-19 vaccination or would like to get vaccinated, please visit your nearest vaccination site, and our friendly staff with assist you.
  • You must take your ID, passport, or asylum document with you.
  • If you belong to a medical aid, please take your medical aid card or details with you.
  • At the vaccination site there will be signage directing you where to go.
  • You will be screened according to COVID-19 protocol. Once inside, your details will be confirmed. The health workers at the vaccination station will ask you for consent, will explain what they are going to do, and will ask if you have any allergies or medical conditions. This is an important part of the process.
  • After your vaccination you will be asked to wait in the observation room for 15 minutes so that staff can make sure you do not experience any severe allergic reactions.
  • If you received the first jab of a 2-dose vaccine, you will get a follow-up appointment via SMS.
  • You will also receive a proof of vaccination card.

It is normal to experience some side effects after your vaccination. This means that the vaccine is working, and your body is mounting an immune response.

  • Mild side effects are common in the first 3 days after vaccination. You might experience that your arm is sore or red at the injection site, fever/chills, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and/or nausea.
  • You can take paracetamol as per the package instructions to treat pain and fever.
  • Side effects might be more noticeable if you are young, healthy or had COVID-19 before.
  • Your side effects are severe or last longer than 3 days.
  • If in the month after your vaccination you experience sudden headache, blurred vision, weakness on one side of your body, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, a painful or cold leg, and chest pain or shortness of breath.

Testing and isolation advice may change according to the phase of the outbreak and will be updated accordingly. Currently, we only recommend antigen testing for symptomatic people who are:

  • Older than 40 years ·
  • Of any age and live with a chronic condition
  • A health worker
  • Due to have surgery in the next 3 days

Testing of asymptomatic people and PCR tests are no longer routinely advised.