After months of anticipation, the first coronavirus vaccines were finally rolled out in the UK this morning.
Vaccinations have started with the most elderly, people in care homes and their carers, before coming down the age range, with NHS staff and the clinically extremely vulnerable also high on the priority list.
If you’re considering the Covid-19 vaccine, you may be worried about the jab being painful.
Needle phobia is very common, affecting at least one in 10 people, and is nothing to be ashamed of.
Thankfully, Dr Simran Deo, an Online Doctor at Zava has reassured that the Covid-19 vaccine is unlikely to be very painful.
Speaking to Mirror Online, she explained: “Vaccinations may hurt a little, but the pain is usually brief, often lasting less than a second or two.
“You may find that the area where you have had the vaccination, such as your arm, may ache later on that evening or the following day but this will subside with anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and massage of the area.”
And while it’s often easier said than done, trying to relax while getting a vaccine can help to reduce the pain.
Dr Deo added: “Tensing during the vaccination may make the pain worse, so concentrating on deep breathing and thinking of being in a place where you feel most relaxed will help.”
Meanwhile, several people who have had the vaccine today have reassured that it is not painful.
Joanna Sloan, 28, was the first to receive the vaccine in Northern Ireland, and said that she felt not pain.
She said: "It did not feel any different than any other immunisation that I have had, I did not feel any pain."
