JACK ZIMBA, Lusaka
AT EXACTLY 14:20 on Sunday, April 18, I took my first jab of the COVID vaccine AstraZeneca.
Considering all the negative publicity AstraZeneca has got around the world since it was introduced – most of it based on scientific evidence about the side effects of the vaccine – baring my arm and allowing the nurse to push the needle into my body was a tough decision.
Later that night, I retired to bed early because I had a terrible headache. But I could hardly sleep because the headache persisted, and then I also had pain in my muscles and joints with an accompanying fever.
The feeling was like having a bout of malaria – a disease I have not suffered from in many years.
I curled up in bed wondering if I had made the right decision, but was comforted by the thought that this was predicted.
I was well aware of the side effects that are linked to the drug.
I woke up on Monday morning with the same feeling, and although I reported for work, I could hardly concentrate on anything. I had to excuse myself and spent the afternoon in bed with fever.
A number of my workmates who had taken the jab at the same time as I did experienced similar side effects. In fact, one of my workmates with a history of anaemia had to call a senior officer in the Ministry of Health to express her fears about what CLICK TO READ MORE