Mae Brechu yn achub bywydau Vaccination saves lives

Answering your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine I haven’t had an appointment • Feeling or being sick yet, why not? • Feeling tired If required, paracetamol can help relieve All health boards are now inviting anyone over some discomfort. 17 years and 9 months to be vaccinated. If you There have been reports of extremely rare have not received an invitation or think you cases of blood clots. The Oxford/AstraZeneca have been missed please contact your local vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved health board. thousands of lives. The MHRA, and the Joint gov.wales/covidvaccine Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation You will not have received a vaccination (JCVI) have both said that the benefits of the appointment from your local health board vaccine far outweigh the risks for the vast if contact details at your GP surgery are out majority of adults. of date. Contact the surgery and check your The JCVI advises as a precaution that it’s details (address and mobile phone number) preferable for people under the age of 40 are up to date. with no underlying health conditions to be offered an alternative vaccine where possible Is the vaccine safe? once they are eligible.

Before any vaccine can be used, it must pass Can you be confident there will strict quality, safety and effectiveness tests and be granted approval by the independent be no long-term side effects? Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Every single vaccine authorised for use in the UK has been assessed for safety by the MHRA. The Covid-19 vaccine was tested on thousands Millions of people have already received of people and approved by the MHRA. the Covid-19 vaccine. The MHRA operates

something called the Yellow Card scheme on 43077 Are there any side effects from behalf of the Commission on Human Medicines the vaccine? (CHM). The scheme collects and monitors information on suspected safety concerns and relies on voluntary reporting of suspected Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side

adverse incidents by healthcare professionals WG Government , Welsh effects. Most of these are mild and short

and members of the public (users, patients 2021 term, lasting no longer than a week, and not and healthcare professionals). You can find everyone gets them. These may include: out more at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk • A sore arm where the needle went in © Crown copyright copyright © Crown • A headache • Feeling achy

Find out more at gov.wales/coronavirus Can you choose which vaccine Does the Covid vaccine to have? affect fertility?

No, but you will be offered a vaccine that is There is no evidence that the vaccine affects safe and appropriate for you. All vaccines fertility, or your chances of becoming pregnant. that are available will have been approved because they pass the MHRA’s tests on safety How do I know if the vaccine has and efficacy, so people should be assured that whichever vaccine they have, will be highly been tested on people like me? effective and protect them from coronavirus. Each of the vaccines has been tested on Can people with allergies tens of thousands of people across the world and over 30 million people have taken the have the vaccine? vaccine in the UK. They’re tested on both men and women, on people from different You should not have the Covid-19 vaccine if ethnic backgrounds, representative of the UK you have ever had a serious allergic reaction population and of all ages between 18–84. (including anaphylaxis) to: • a previous dose of the same vaccine Will the covid vaccine • any of the ingredients in the vaccine protect me? Tell healthcare staff before you are vaccinated if you’ve ever had a serious allergic reaction. Vaccines offer important protection to reduce Serious allergic reactions are rare. If you do risk, but they don’t make you invincible. have a reaction to the vaccine, it usually Protection from any vaccine takes time to happens in minutes. Staff giving the vaccine build up. In general, the older you are the are trained to deal with allergic reactions and longer it takes. It will take at least two weeks can treat them immediately. in younger people and at least three weeks in older people before you can expect to have a good antibody response. Can pregnant or breastfeeding women have the Covid vaccine? Can I catch coronavirus from the vaccine? If you’re are pregnant, you should be offered the vaccine when you are eligible. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are offered the No, you can’t. But it’s possible to have vaccine based on age and clinical risk group. caught the virus and not realise you have the symptoms until after your vaccination. If you It’s preferable for pregnant women to have the have any of the symptoms of coronavirus, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine because stay at home and arrange to have a test. they have been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries and have not If you need more information on coronavirus symptoms, caused any safety issues. gov.wales/self-isolation You can have a Covid-19 vaccine if you are breastfeeding. There is no evidence that the vaccine has any effect on the chances of becoming pregnant and there is no need to avoid pregnancy after being vaccinated. The vaccine can’t give you or your baby Covid-19. Speak to a healthcare professional before you have the vaccine. They will discuss the benefits and risks with you.

Find out more at gov.wales/coronavirus How does the Covid Are people under 40 being vaccine work? offered a vaccine other than Oxford/Astra Zeneca? Like any vaccine, the Covid-19 vaccine works by teaching your immune system how to create The (JCVI) advises that it’s preferable for antibodies that protect you from disease. under-40s with no underlying conditions It’s safer for your immune system to learn to be offered an alternative to the Oxford/ this through vaccination than by catching AstraZeneca vaccine where available. the disease. Everybody who has already had a first dose of Is the Covid vaccine vegetarian? the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should receive a second dose of the same brand, irrespective of age. The exception is a very small number of The Covid-19 vaccines currently approved people who experienced blood clots with low in the UK do not contain any components of platelet counts from their first vaccination. animal origin and so, yes, they are vegetarian. If you are unsure, speak to a healthcare I’m young and low risk, professional. do I need a vaccine? How do I know if the Covid-19 vaccine is suitable for people The average age of people in intensive care is 60, but people much younger have been of my faith? seriously ill and died too, with thousands more still suffering the effects of Long Covid after The approved Covid-19 vaccines are suitable what might have been a mild initial case. for people of all faiths. They don’t contain any If we’ve learned anything from this last year, components of animal origin or foetal cells. it’s that nobody is really safe. Anyone can get Covid-19, including young people, and anyone Why do I need a second can spread it. Getting vaccinated is one of vaccination? the best things you can do to protect yourself and others around you from the virus, vaccines Vaccines offer important protection to reduce reduce infections, hospitalisations and deaths risk, but they don’t make you invincible. from Covid-19. Protection from any vaccine takes time to build up. In general, the older you are the Does the Covid vaccine contain longer it takes. alcohol? It will take at least two weeks in younger people and at least three weeks in older The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine contains people before you can expect to have a good a tiny amount of ethanol. Less than what you antibody response. Even better protection would find in some of your daily groceries like then comes from the second dose, so it’s really bread. Faith Leaders and Muslim Scholars have important that everyone gets their second said that the vaccine is not Haram. vaccination. You will be contacted to arrange a date for your second appointment unless you have already booked via the national booking system.

For more information, visit: gov.wales/coronavirus

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