A major development in the vaccine effort was announced yesterday – over 70s can now book their vaccine appointment online. Despite the remarkable gains in the UK, vaccine hesitancy persists. For some, the fear stems from the possible side effects of getting vaccinated.
Vaccine latest
It was announced on Monday that scientists are developing booster jabs to tackle COVID-19 variants.
The impetus to get booster jabs underway follows a small study that suggested the Oxford vaccine offers “minimal protection” against mild disease from the South Africa variant.
Health minister Edward Argar said the government was anticipating that an annual jab could be required to new mutations of coronavirus.
He was quick to allay fears about the vaccine’s efficacy, saying there was “no evidence” the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was not effective at preventing severe illness from the South African variant.
What are the main symptoms of coronavirus?
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
“Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms,” explains the NHS.
How to respond
If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus,get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible.
You and anyone you live with should stay at home and not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.
Anyone in your support bubble should also stay at home if you have been in close contact with them since your symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started.
A support bubble is where someone who lives alone (or just with their children) can meet people from one other household.
Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:
- You’re worried about your symptoms
- You’re not sure what to do.
Call 111 if you cannot get help online – do not go to places like a GP surgery, hospital or pharmacy.
Published at Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:22:00 +0000
Covid vaccine side effects: Dr Khan reveals how you may feel ‘groggy’ among main effects
